Astronomy and astrophotography under California stars

M101

Spiral Galaxy in Ursa Major
M101, a spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici. Taken with a Takahashi TOA-150 telescope and an FLI ML11002-C camera.
Other Names/Objects Pinwheel Galaxy, NGC 5457
Optics Takahashi TOA-150 f/7.33 triplet apochromatic refractor
Mount Software Bisque Paramount ME II
Camera FLI MicroLine KAI-11002-C at -25°C
Exposure 205 minutes (41 x 5 minutes)
Calibration 60 darks | 0 flats | 0 flat darks | 0 bias
Air Temperature 60°F / 15.5°C
Accessories Autoguided with SBIG ST-i camera and Takahashi FS-60 telescope
Location CaliforniaStars Observatory in Landers, California
Date April 22, 2017
Notes Toward the lower right corner is the dwarf galaxy NGC 5474. There are dozens of tiny galaxies throughout this image. See the larger image to check them out.

Processing: TheSkyX for acquisition. MaxIm DL Pro v6 for calibrate, Bayer CFA interpolation, register, and combine. Photoshop CC for curves, levels, sharpen, saturation, resize and JPG compression.

Larger Versions:
3600 x 2400 (~3.25 MB)