Amateur astrophotographer captures gorgeous view of Bode's galaxy from Death Valley
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Astrophotographer Joel Martin captured a magnificent view of Bode's Galaxy in February 2025 during the annual Dark Sky Festival held in California's Death Valley National Park.
The frames used to create Martin's galactic portrait were captured on the night of Feb. 21 using a 150mm f/4 Newtonian telescope connected to a ASI533 astrophotography camera capable of taking full color images in a single exposure without the need for filters.
Bode's Galaxy has an apparent magnitude of +6.94, making it one of the brightest galaxies visible in the Northern Hemisphere. Martin was able to bring out exquisite detail in the grand spiral galaxy by executing a set of 18 separate 300 second exposures, which were then stacked and post-processed using PixInsight astrophotography software.
TOP TELESCOPE PICK:
Want to see galaxies in the night sky? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review.
The end result is a stunning view of M81 that highlights active star forming regions embedded in the galaxy's spiral arms, the light from which has travelled for 11.6 million light-years before rushing headlong into Martin's telescope. The prominent core of Bode's Galaxy also shines brightly with the light of older, redder stars in this shot, which orbit a monstrous supermassive black hole that is estimated to have a mass the equivalent to 15 times that of the Milky Way's Sagittarius A*.
April just so happens to be the best month to view Bode's Galaxy, so why not head out and try to spot it for yourself? You can track down M81 by locating the Big Dipper asterism in the constellation Ursa Major - which is high overhead this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere - and engaging in a little star hopping.
First off, locate the bright star Phecda, and draw an imaginary diagonal line from this star through Dubhe, which is located on the 'pouring tip' of the Big Dipper's bowl.
Continue this line outwards for the same distance that it took to cross the bowl, and you will find the patch of sky containing Bode's Galaxy.
Remember, M81 is invisible to the naked eye. However, as explained by NASA it can be seen through a good pair of binoculars as a smudge of light, with the smaller cigar-shaped galaxy M82 also in frame, but a small telescope is needed to resolve the bright galactic core and elegant, sweeping spiral arms.
If you want to try and find Bode's Galaxy for yourself then why not avail yourself of our guides detailing the best binoculars deals and best telescope deals available this year. Our guides on the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump drops Nasa nominee Jared Isaacman, scrapping Elon Musk's pick
The White House has withdrawn as its nominee for Nasa administrator, abruptly yanking a close ally of Elon Musk from consideration to lead the space agency. Donald Trump said he would announce a new candidate soon. 'After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head Nasa,' the US president posted online. 'I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be mission aligned, and put America first in space.' Related: Drugs, marital advice and that black eye: key takeaways from Trump's Oval Office send-off for Elon Musk Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut who had been Musk's pick to lead Nasa, was due next week for a much-delayed confirmation vote before the US Senate. His removal from consideration caught many in the space industry by surprise. Trump and the White House did not explain what led to the decision. Isaacman, whose removal was earlier reported by Semafor, said he was 'incredibly grateful' to Trump 'and all those who supported me throughout this journey'. 'I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the weight our political leaders carry,' he posted. 'It may not always be obvious through the discourse and turbulence, but there are many competent, dedicated people who love this country and care deeply about the mission.' Isaacman's removal comes just days after Musk's official departure from the White House, where the SpaceX CEO's role as a 'special government employee' leading the so-called department of government efficiency (Doge) created turbulence for the administration and frustrated some of Trump's aides. Musk, according to a person familiar with his reaction, was disappointed by Isaacman's removal. 'It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted,' Musk wrote of Isaacman on X, responding to the news of the White House's decision. Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear whom the administration might tap to replace Isaacman. One name being floated is the retired US air force Lt Gen Steven Kwast, an early advocate for the creation of the US space force and a Trump supporter, according to three people familiar with the discussions. Isaacman, the former CEO of the payment processor company Shift4, had broad space industry support but drew concerns from lawmakers over his ties to Musk and SpaceX, where he spent hundreds of millions of dollars as an early private spaceflight customer. The former nominee had donated to Democrats in prior elections. In his confirmation hearing in April, he sought to balance Nasa's existing moon-aligned space exploration strategy with pressure to shift the agency's focus on Mars, saying the US can plan for travel to both destinations. As a potential leader of Nasa's 18,000 employees, Isaacman faced a daunting task of implementing that decision to prioritize Mars, given that Nasa has spent years and billions of dollars trying to return its astronauts to the moon. On Friday, the space agency released new details of the Trump administration's 2026 budget plan that proposed killing dozens of space science programs and laying off thousands of employees, a controversial overhaul that space advocates and lawmakers described as devastating for the agency. The Montana Republican Tim Sheehy, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee, posted that Isaacman had been 'a strong choice by President Trump to lead Nasa'. Related: Universe's mysteries may never be solved because of Trump's Nasa cuts, experts say 'I was proud to introduce Jared at his hearing and strongly oppose efforts to derail his nomination,' Sheehy said. Some scientists saw the nominee change as further destabilizing to Nasa as it faces dramatic budget cuts without a confirmed leader in place to navigate political turbulence between Congress, the White House and the space agency's workforce. 'So not having [Isaacman] as boss of Nasa is bad news for the agency,' Harvard-Smithsonian astronomer Jonathan McDowell posted. 'Maybe a good thing for Jared himself though, since being Nasa head right now is a bit of a Kobayashi Maru scenario,' McDowell added, referring to an exercise in the science fiction franchise Star Trek where cadets are placed in a no-win scenario. With Reuters
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Musk backs down on threat to retire SpaceX Dragon spacecraft amid Trump dispute
Elon Musk, the world's richest person, on Thursday said his company SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft after he engaged in an extraordinary public fallout with Donald Trump who had threatened to cancel government contracts with Musk's businesses. He later appeared to back down. 'In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,' Musk posted on the social media platform X, which he owns. A few minutes earlier Trump had posted on Truth Social – the media platform that he owns – that he might cancel huge lucrative contracts with Musk's businesses, which include the SpaceX company that is building a fleet of rockets. Related: Trump and Musk's very public feud is like Alien v Predator for political nerds 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' Trump said. Nasa relies on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Hours after issuing his threat, Musk appeared to take pleas from users on his social media platform X to 'cool down' and he posted: 'Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon.' Since 2008, SpaceX has received more than $20bn in government contracts, largely from Nasa and the Department of Defense. In March, two Nasa astronauts returned to Earth in a Dragon capsule after being stranded on the ISS for nearly nine months, after their Boeing Starliner capsule faced technical issues and returned to Earth without them. The next SpaceX Dragon launch is scheduled to take place on 10 June. The Dragon is expected to carry four people to and from the ISS on Axiom Mission 4. Nasa's press secretary, Bethany Stevens, in a statement on X after Musk's announcement, said the agency 'will continue to execute upon the president's vision for the future of space'. Related: Trump v Musk: 10 ways they can further hurt each other 'We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the president's objectives in space are met,' she added. Musk's announcement came amid an escalating dispute with Trump that began after he denounced the president's tax and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination'. Musk later accused Trump of 'ingratitude' for the millions he spent to get him elected. Trump, in turn, said he was 'very disappointed' in Musk. The president wrote earlier on Thursday that Musk was 'wearing thin' and that the tech billionaire 'went crazy' after he was asked to depart the White House last week as head of Trump's 'department of government efficiency' .
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
FAA requires SpaceX to investigate Starship Flight 9 mishap
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. SpaceX needs to figure out what happened on the ninth test flight of its Starship megarocket, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has decreed. Flight 9, which lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas on Tuesday (May 27), ended in the destruction of both of Starship's stages — its Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage (which is also sometimes known, somewhat confusingly, as Starship). But the FAA, which grants launch licenses for U.S. operators, is only concerned about one of those explosive events. "The mishap investigation is focused only on the loss of the Starship vehicle, which did not complete its launch or reentry as planned," FAA officials wrote in an update today (May 30). "The FAA determined that the loss of the Super Heavy booster is covered by one of the approved test induced damage exceptions requested by SpaceX for certain flight events and system components," the agency explained. "The FAA evaluated each exception prior to launch approval and verified they met public safety requirements." SpaceX broke new ground on Flight 9, reusing a Super Heavy for the first time ever. This particular booster first flew on Flight 7 in January, acing its engine burn and then returning to Starbase for a successful and dramatic catch by the launch tower's "chopstick" arms. The company did not attempt another catch on Flight 9. It conducted a variety of experiments with the booster, including bringing it down to Earth on a higher "angle of attack" to increase atmospheric drag. So, for safety's sake, SpaceX steered Super Heavy toward a "hard splashdown" in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday. This didn't quite work out, however. "Contact with the booster was lost shortly after the start of landing burn when it experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly approximately 6 minutes after launch, bringing an end to the first reflight of a Super Heavy booster," SpaceX wrote in a Flight 9 recap. Ship had an even harder time on Flight 9. The upper stage was supposed to make a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia about 65 minutes after launch, but it suffered an "attitude control error" that prevented the vehicle from getting into the proper orientation for reentry. "Starship then went through an automated safing process to vent the remaining pressure to place the vehicle in the safest condition for reentry," SpaceX wrote in the recap. "Contact with Starship was lost approximately 46 minutes into the flight, with all debris expected to fall within the planned hazard area in the Indian Ocean." Related stories: — SpaceX reached space with Starship Flight 9 launch, then lost control of its giant spaceship (video) — Starship and Super Heavy explained — SpaceX loses Starship rocket stage again, but catches giant Super Heavy booster during Flight 8 launch (video) This was still a considerable improvement over Ship's performance on its previous two liftoffs. On both Flight 7 and Flight 8 (which launched in March), Ship was lost less than 10 minutes after liftoff, raining debris down over the Atlantic. There have been no reports of injuries or damage to public property as a result of the Flight 9 mishap, according to the FAA. There were also minimal effects on flights in U.S. airspace — an improvement over the previous two Starship launches. "The FAA activated a Debris Response Area, out of an abundance of caution, when the Super Heavy booster experienced its anomaly over the Gulf of America during its flyback toward Texas," FAA officials wrote. "The FAA subsequently determined the debris did not fall outside of the hazard area," they added. "During the event, there were zero departure delays, one flight was diverted, and one airborne flight was held for 24 minutes."
