M82, The (Exploding) Cigar Galaxy

    M82 (NGC 3034), Magnitude 8.4 Ir (?) Galaxy, Size 9.0'x4.0', Constellation: Ursa Major.

Image Details:

• Scope: Celestron Ultima 8 OTA.
• Mount: Celestron AS-GT.
• Camera: Adirondack Video Astronomy Stellacam II.
• Configuration: f/3.3 focal reducer, visual back .
• Effective Focal Length: 609mm, f/3.
• Guiding: None.
• Location: Chiefland Spring Picnic, Chiefland, FL       
• Date: 28 April 2006.
• Post Processing: Registax 3, Adobe Photoshop.
• Procedures: Video recorded to DVD, converted to .avi (with FlaskMPEG), stacked with Registax 3, and processed with Photoshop.

M82 is without doubt one of the principal marvels of the northern sky. From a dark site, medium aperture telescopes can easily reveal the wealth of detail formed by the multitudinous dark lanes and bright patches. .

It's clear that something BAD has happened to this galaxy. 50 years ago, it was thought that M82 was "exploding." Now, we're pretty sure that the weird appearance comes from a bout of furious starburst activity brought on by a close encounter with another huge night bird. The question is, "which?" M81 seems the ideal candidate, but its normal appearance makes this answer suspect. Like so many other things in the night sky, the truth behind this enigma lying 12 million light years out and ago remains just that: a mystery...

M82 shows tremendous detail with the C8 and Stellacam II, showing off its truly weird character in real time. My creative daughter Elizabeth says this one should be known as the "Exploding" Cigar...and who am I to argue?...

Return to Uncle Rod's DSI/CCD Page