From: "milton_aupperle" <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: January 6, 2012 1:32:49 PM MST

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: M81

Hi Folks;

Here is M81 taken on January 1st.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Astro_IIDC/files/DSO/M81_20120101_MJA.jpg 

C8" scope @ 1625 mm focal length with the Cooled (to -27°C) Grasshopper camera, 16 minute Luma binned 1x1, 4 minute red, green and blue binned 2x2.

Seeing was in the 5 to 6 arc second range FWHM, slightly worse than M82 image during the same night. The 50% moon was high in the sky when I imaged M81, so it raised the sky background to 19,000, which obscures the fainter arms.  With M82, I was getting 14,000 sky brightness as the moon was lower.

My M1 crab image (16 minute lumas) was taken with no moon in the sky and sky background is in the 6,000 range out at the Cabin with virtually no light pollution.

TTYL..

Milton Aupperle