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(IAAC) OBJECT: M81 INST: 16" Newt. f/4.59
Observer: Todd Gross
Your skill: Intermediate
Date and UT of observation: 10/28/97 0808 GMT
Location & latitude: 22 miles west of Boston, Ma. 42.3N
Site classification: Suburban
Limiting magnitude (visual): 5.2 (estimated) 5.0 (est) in vicinity of object
Seeing (1 to 10 - worst-best): 5
Moon up (phase?): Yes, 20%
Weather: Clear
Instrument: 16" Newtonian-dob w. 96/99% coatings f/4.59
Magnifications: 69x, 170x(binoviewer), 267x
Filters used:
Object: M81
Constellation: Vicinity of Ursa Major
Object data: Galaxy
M81 in the 16" just barely fell short of showing me it's spiral arms. A
fairly bright, mid-sized
galaxy oval shaped, with a very bright core. Both the core and the Galaxy
were somewhat
elliptical in shape. There was just a hint at this aperture, with these
skies (mag. 5) of a dark
lane on either end of the ellipse, where the spiral arms branch off.
Needless to say, at low power, the object is framed beautifully with M82,
an irregular galaxy of
roughly equal size (but much thinner)
- Todd
_________________________________
BOSTON TV METEOROLOGIST TODD GROSS
Weather/Astronomy Home Page: http://www.weatherman.com
Administrator, Meade User Group: mapug@shore.net & NE Weather Watcher Mail
List, wxobs-sne@shore.net
IRC Channel Operator: #Weather, #Sciastro (Undernet) // Originator
of the NE.WEATHER newsgroup
_________________________________
Email: toddg@weatherman.com Work Phone# (617)725-0777