M81 / M82

John M. Ryan 
Galaxies: M81 / M82
Date & Time: Tuesday April 9, 2002, 23:00 UST
Sky darkness: 5+ <Limiting magnitude>
Transparency: --- <1 worst - 10 best>
Seeing: 5+ <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Location of site: Barreras, Salamanca, Spain.
Site classification: Rural, Surbanban
Conditions: Light clouds, calm
Temperature: ~ 8º C. 
Telescope: 12.5" Truss Tube Dob
Eyepieces: 19mm panoptic 
Magnification: 83X		 No trouble finding this double as I have this part of Ursa Major perfectly memorised. The two doubles fit just nicely in the FOV of the 19mm panoptic. I have spent a lot of time with this pair over the years but this was the best view ever showing more detail in the two galaxies than what I had ever remembered. I stayed with these for 15 to 20 minutes enjoying the view in the new scope. I didn't realize until I saw the list later that NGC 3077 is near these two. Will have to return again to find the third one. Rating 2.

 
Mary Flanagan
Star: M81 / M82
Date & Time: 13 Apr 2002 12:00 CDT
Seeing: 6.5 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Transparency: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Location of site: Apple Valley MN, USA
 93d 14m 25s W; 44d 45m 17s N
Site classification: Suburban 
Sky conditions: 
Sky darkness: 4 <Limiting magnitude>
Telescope: 12.5" f/5 Dobsonian 
Magnification: 50x, 144x		 After a look at the two together at 50x for the shape contrast and 
the general neatness of having two in the same field, I cranked it up to 144x 
and had a look at M82. I gave it a little time, and with my back to the worst 
of the lights I could make out the odd bent shape and begin to perceive the 
mottling.

I have absolutely no idea why I didn't give M81 the same treatment. Next time.
 
 
 

 

 
William L. Schart 
Star: M81 / M82
Date & Time: 6/2/02, 11:27 pm CDT
Seeing: 8 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Transparency:  <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Location of site: Killeen, Texas, USA
Site classification: Suburban
Sky darkness: 3.5 <Limiting magnitude>
Telescope: Celestron 8" SCT
Eyepieces: 25mm, 17mm, 10mm 
Magnification: 		 I could not get both of these objects in the same FOV, so I guess 
technically for me, these are not doubles. M 81 had a bright core with a 
faint haze surrounding it, almost like a globular cluster. M 82 was a 
very elongated grey streak across the FOV, with some evidence of the 
dust lane here.

No sign of NGC 3077, but then I wasn't looking for it this time.
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
Wouter van Reeven 
Star: M81 / M82
Date & Time: May 2, 2003,
00:15 CEST - 01:35 CEST
Seeing:  <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: r
Location of site: Utrecht, the Netherlands
Site classification: 
Conditions: 
Sky darkness:  <Limiting magnitude> 
Instrument: 7x50 binos 
Eyepieces: 25 mm Ortho, 12 mm Ortho
Magnification: 40x, 80x		 Before going out with the telescope I used my 7x50 binos to view M81. I didn't see M82. Too much light pollution and hand held binos :-(
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
Steve Bodin 
Star: M81 / M82
Date & Time: 27 April 2003 11 pm to 1 am
Seeing: 4 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: good
Location of site: Silverdale WA, USA
47N 123W
Site classification: suburb-rural
Conditions: temp 40 F, dry
Sky darkness: 5.7 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: 17.5 inch DOB, Bigdog
Eyepieces: not used
Additional: DX-8263SL video camera at f3
Magnification: app. 200x intergrated 2 sec exposures		 The biggies of the far north. M81 is so large that it fills the view with the Bigdog at f3, but the outer parts and arms are very faint, maybe a surface brightness of 14 or less. Those beautiful observatory pictures of this gem are hard to come by. M82 is too far away to fit in the same FOV, but this strange galaxy is among the highest surface brightness of all. Very easy to see and image. Didn't try for NGC3077, but it should have been no problem, will do it again sometime.
 


 

 
 
 
Carol Locomiak
Star: M81 / M82
Date & Time: UT Feb 14th, 01:00 till 04:00
Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Transparency: Very good 8/10 
Temperature: 20°F 
Other Conditions: Slight breeze; no Moon
Location of Site: Tomahawk WI, USA
45ºN 89ºW
Site Classification:  Rural
Sky darkness: 8/10
Binoculars: Oberwerk 22x100
 		 M81 and M82 in the same fov have been a longtime favorite of mine. No details of course, but lots of 'newbie' memories are attached to these two.  <g>
 
 


Steve Bodin 
Galaxies: M81 / M82
Date & Time: 23 May 2004, 11 pm to 2 am local
Seeing: 3-4 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: good
Location of site: Silverdale WA, USA
47N 123W
Site classification: suburb-rural
Conditions: temp 45F, dry
Sky darkness: 5.6 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: 17.5 inch Dob, Bigdog
Eyepieces: not used
Additional: DX-8263SL color video camera at f3
Magnification: app. 200x

 

 Viewed the main pair many times, but the smaller NGC3077 has never been chased down and reading the other members' posts, nobody else has looked for it either. Burnham's book has this listed as an E2 pec type, and looking at the old overexposed Palomar plates, it looks like the prototypical small elliptical galaxy. But imaging this one shows something else. Strange small core with dark areas and faint outer region, also, too blue to be an elliptical. Checked the SIMBAD database and found the galaxy now listed as an Irregular.

Viewed a bunch more in UMa region and found some interesting sights, quite a few edge-on systems here, but most are faint. Having 17 inches of photon collection really helps! Sometime bigger is better.
 

  
  



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