Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  Bode's nebulae  ·  M 81  ·  M 82  ·  NGC 3031  ·  NGC 3034
M81 & M82, Bode's and Cigar Galaxies, Ross Walker
M81 & M82, Bode's and Cigar Galaxies
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M81 & M82, Bode's and Cigar Galaxies

M81 & M82, Bode's and Cigar Galaxies, Ross Walker
M81 & M82, Bode's and Cigar Galaxies
Powered byPixInsight

M81 & M82, Bode's and Cigar Galaxies

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L(HaR)RGB

My fourth processing attempt and my first broadband and narrowband combo. Somehow I managed to resurrect a near disaster, caused by more than a few strong gradients due to my LRGB calibration files not being able to calibrate the subs correctly. I had to trim the image as a result.

I added my Ha data to the Red channel using a variation of the Vicent Peris expression as explained here. It worked surprisingly well.

An application of deconvolution would not go astray to shrink those bloated stars a little; that's another technique I need to learn.

From wiki:

Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away, with a diameter of 90,000 light years, about half the size of the Milky Way, in the constellation Ursa Major. Due to its proximity to Earth, large size, and active galactic nucleus (which harbors a 70 million M☉ supermassive black hole), Messier 81 has been studied extensively by professional astronomers. The galaxy's large size and relatively high brightness also makes it a popular target for amateur astronomers.

Messier 82 (also known as NGC 3034, Cigar Galaxy or M82) is a starburst galaxy approximately 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. A member of the M81 Group, it is about five times more luminous than the whole Milky Way and has a center one hundred times more luminous than our galaxy's center. The starburst activity is thought to have been triggered by interaction with neighboring galaxy M81. As the closest starburst galaxy to Earth, M82 is the prototypical example of this galaxy type. SN 2014J, a type Ia supernova, was discovered in the galaxy on 21 January 2014. In 2014, in studying M82, scientists discovered the brightest pulsar yet known, designated M82 X-2.

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M81 & M82, Bode's and Cigar Galaxies, Ross Walker