_2025_03 Bode's and Cigar Galaxy

by Thomas Hanrath

Objects in field: Bode's Galaxy, Cigar Galaxy, M 81, M 82, NGC 2959, NGC 2961, NGC 2976, NGC 3031, NGC 3034, NGC 3077

Equipment: Baader APO 95/580 CaF2 Travel Companion, ToupTek SkyEye62AM

Integration: 6h 20m

In March 2025, I embarked on an astrophotography project focusing on Messier 81 and its neighboring galaxies. I captured the luminance data at the Hohen List observatory in the Eifel region, while the RGB channels were taken earlier from my home in Koblenz. Combining these, I achieved a total exposure time of 6 hours and 20 minutes. The resulting widefield image prominently features Messier 81 at…