Messier 81 was first discovered by Johann Elert Bode in 1774. Consequently, the galaxy is sometimes referred to as “Bode’s Galaxy”.
Snows melted, the observatory is up!
It seems that the new season comes quickly. A few days ago my observatory was covered with a 50cm layer of ice and show. Right now as it became more accessible I enjoy taking the first pictures since autumn.
The moon shot on 2009/11/26
This is the moon shot on 2009/11/26 using 5DMKII attached to Meade Lightbridge 12″ F/5 newtonian reflector. …
NGC 6960 – Western Veil Nebula in h-alpha
This image is just a starting point for this object. It is solely 7 x 1800s in H-alpha. No doubt, I need twice as much in H-alpha as well as OIII and maybe some SII.
Abell 2218 – Gravitational lensing
On my picture Abell 2218 is visible merely as a group of pixel-sized dots in the center of the frame. However it has registered. The picture is just a few 20-minute exposures taken in urban conditions stacked together.
Messier 16 – The Eagle Nebula
Let me present my attempt – the picture was taken at the mountainside during my recent holiday. My geographic location makes imaging of this object quite difficult.
Messier 33 – Trialngulum galaxy
Here’s my attempt on imaging this object. I had a very good weather in the recent days and a lot of free time. The picture was taken during two nights in the mountainside and is certainly one of the best images so far.
NGC 281 – PacMan Nebula
NGC 281 is an H II region in the constellation of Cassiopeia and part of the Perseus Spiral Arm. It includes or is near the open cluster IC 1590, the double star HD 5005, and several Bok globules.
Messier 27 – Dumbbell Nebula
The Dumbbell Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1,360 light years. This object was the first planetary nebula to be discovered by Charles Messier in 1764
Messier 13 – Globular Cluster
And here’s my M13 picture – rather a quick shot, just a few short exposures in luminance taken on July 27th, 2009.
NGC 7331 & Stephan’s Quintet
The picture is 4h of unfiltered exposure in the urban light-polluted conditions. Taken at Altummundi observatory on July 27th, 2009. It is very breath-taking experience when using amateur equipment one can reach so deeply into the universe. It is so surprising how many galaxies are visible on this image.
Messier 31 – The Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts is a spiral galaxy approximately 2,500,000 light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It is the nearest spiral galaxy to our own, the Milky Way. As it is visible as a faint smudge on a moonless night, it is one of the farthest objects visible to the naked eye, and can be seen even from urban areas with binoculars.