M81

M81, also known as Bode's Nebula or NGC 3031, is a classic grand design spiral galaxy, located in Ursa Major approximately 12 million light-years distant, and is the largest member of the M81 Group of Galaxies, another well known member being M82, the active galaxy which is gravitationally bound with M81 and NGC 3077, another member of the group.

Date: January 2009
Constellation: Ursa Major
Distance: 12 Million Light-Years
Place: Fort Davis, TX
Exposure Details: LRGB:600:180:180:180 unbinned
Processing: MaxIm DL, CCDStack, CCDSharp, RegiStar, Photoshop CS3

Optics: 12.5" RCOS Truss
Focal Length: 2802mm @ f9
Mount: Paramount ME
Camera: STL6303E
Focuser: RCOS
Guiding: Off-Axis with SBIG Guide Camera
Filters: LRGB Tru-Balance GenII 2"