Russell Croman Astrophotography  

 

 

Spiral Galaxy M101


About This Photograph

This beautiful face-on spiral galaxy lies at a distance from us of approximately 24 million light years. It is listed at magnitude 7.9, which is fairly bright as galaxies go, but due to its extended nature its surface brightness is fairly low.

 

Technical Details

Optics:14" f/10 RCOS Ritchey-Chrétien Cassegrain
Camera:SBIG STL-6303E (luminance), STL-11000M (color).
Mount:Astro-Physics 1200 GTO.
Filters:SBIG Standard RGB.
Dates/Times:18-19 May 2004.
Location:The Texas Star Party, Fort Davis, Texas.
Exposure Details:LRGB = 180:40:30:45 minutes.