M81 Group

I learned about the M81 Group when looking up the details of the spiral galaxy NGC 2403 which I EAA observed on 01/27/2022. The M81 Group is a galaxy group in the constellations Ursa Major and Camelopardalis. There are two Messier Objects in the M81 Group: M81 also known as Bode’s Galaxy and M82 also known as the Cigar Galaxy.

According to the M81 Group Wikipedia entry there are 34 galaxies in the M81 Group, most of them are very faint with apparent magnitude greater than 10. Many will push my abilities and the limits of my gear, but I am going to work through attempting to EAA observe and capture each of the objects in the M81 Group. So I decided to dedicate a page to the pursuit of the M81 Group and my attempts to capture at least some of the 34 members.

I already have the 3 brightest galaxies in the group. Here are a few others which are <14 magnitude which I will start adding to my observation planning to attempt first:

NGC 2366, NGC 2976, NGC 3077, NGC 4236, Holmberg I, Holmberg II, UGC 8201, UGC 5692

Then I’ll take a look at attempting the dimmer (>14 mag) ones.

Resources:

Current Progress: 10 of about 34 M81 Group galaxies captured.

M81 Group EAA Image Date Notes
UGC 5336, Holmberg IX UGC 5336, Holmberg IX, Galaxy, EAA Capture with Annotation 01/20/2023 01/20/2023 Live stack: 12 x 300 second live stack, 121 gain
Had to really stretch the histogram to get it, but it is there.
Scope: SV503 102ED w/ 0.8 Focal Reducer (F/5.6)
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Guided: Yes
NGC 2366 NGC 2366 - Galaxy - M81 Group - EAA Capture 05/29/2022 05/29/2022 Live stack: 45 x 20 second exposures 400 gain.
Very faint but resolvable in the center of the FOV.
Scope: SV503 102ED w/ 0.8 Focal Reducer (F/5.6)
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Guided: No
UGC 5692 UGC 5692 - M81 Group Galaxy - EAA Capture 04/01/2022 04/01/2022 Live stack: 80 x 15 second exposures at 121 gain, bin 2X2
Faint but resolvable in the center of the frame.
Scope: Celestron C6 6″ SCT
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Guided: No
M81 – Spiral Galaxy
Bode’s Galaxy
M81 - Bode's Galaxy - Captured on 01/27/2022 01/27/2022 Live stack: 20 x 60 second exposures 350 gain.
Scope: AT66ED
Camera: SVBONY SV305
Guided: OSSAG, SV106
M82 – Starburst Galaxy
The Cigar Galaxy
M82 - The Cigar Galaxy - Captured on 01/27/2022 01/27/2022 Live stack: 10 x 60 second exposures 350 gain.
Scope: AT66ED
Camera: SVBONY SV305
Guided: OSSAG, SV106
NGC 2403 – Spiral Galaxy NGC 2403 - Spiral Galaxy - Captured on 01/27/2022 01/27/2022 Live stack: 30 minutes, 30 and 60 second exposures 300 gain.
Scope: AT66ED
Camera: SVBONY SV305
Guided: OSSAG, SV106
NGC 3077 NGC 3077 - Galaxy in the M81 Group - Captured 02/01/2022 02/01/2022 Live stack: 40 x 30 second exposures 400 gain.
Scope: AT66ED
Camera: SVBONY SV305
Guided: OSSAG, SV106
NGC 2976 NGC 2976 - Galaxy - Member of M81 Group - Captured on 02/01/2022 02/01/2022 Live stack: 40 x 30 second exposures 400 gain.
Scope: AT66ED
Camera: SVBONY SV305
Guided: OSSAG, SV106
NGC 4236 NGC 4236 - M81 Group Galaxy - EAA Captured 02/19/2022 02/19/2022 Live stack: 120 x 15 second exposures 500 gain.
Scope: AT66ED
Camera: SVBONY SV305
Guided: No
IC 2574, Coddington’s Nebula IC 2574, Coddington's Nebula, EAA Capture 12/27/2022 12/27/2022 Live stack: 10 x 30 second and 10 x 60 second exposures at 121 gain, bin 2X2
Faint but resolvable in the center of the frame.
Scope: SVBONY SV503 102ED with 0.8 Focal Reducer (F/5.6)
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Guided: No

Here is a wide field EAA capture from 04/23/2022 of M81 Group members M81, M82, NGC3077, and NGC2976.
M81, M82 and M81 Group Galaxies - EAA Capture 04/23/2022

I attempted to EAA observe and capture Holmberg I, UGC 5139, on 02/01/2022 but was unable to resolve.