M 101

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Object: M101 - Pinwheel Galaxy (Ursa Major)
Date: 06-07.06.2005
Scope, mount, camera: FFC, MM, ST-10XME
Filter, exposure time: 36x600s with SBIG Clear filter
Total exposure time: 6h 00min
Location: La Palma, Roque de los muchachos
Comments: These exposures were obtained in two nights. The first had a limiting magnitude of about 7.8 mag, the second one had a noticeably brighter sky with 7.4 mag. The faintest objects visible in this image have nearly 23rd magnitude, even though this is somewhat difficult to determine because no photometric references are available in such a broad filter.
There is also a less deep color image based on the same luminance data.