Peculiar Galaxy in Ursa Major

 

            

            
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This is not the more famous "Bear Paw" galaxy nearby, but another object of unusual interest. This bright 11.2 magnitude object spans 5.3 arcminutes in size, making an excellent target for CCD imaging. Its class is SAB(rs)bc, rather different from the run of the mill spirals in this region. A few small pink HII regions can be seen in the arms, and some blue objects which are stellar associations. The background is filled with hordes of very faint galaxies, the brightest being about magnitude 17.6.

Instrument:  12.5" f/5 Home made Newtonian
Platform:  Astrophysics 1200 QMD
CCD Camera:  SBIG ST8i NABG
Guider: SBIG ST4
Exposure:  LRGB = 60:20:20:20 (RGB Binned 2x2)
RGB Combine Ratio:  1: .8: 2.4
Filters:  RGB Tricolor
Location:  Payson, Arizona
Elevation:  5150 ft.
Sky:  Seeing FWHM = 5 arcsec (Maxim DL - 10min subframe), Transparency 8/10
Outside Temperature:  15 C
CCD Temperature:  -10 C
Processing Tools:  Maxim DL, Photoshop, AIP4WIN, PW Pro

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