Messier 76 - The Pinwheel Galaxy in HaOiiiRGB

Messier 101, also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy, is a stunning face-on spiral galaxy located about 21 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Capturing this galaxy in HaRGB was a major project, requiring 25 hours of exposure time and the use of two filters to bring out its full potential. I used the Optolong L-Pro filter to preserve as much of the natural colour of the galaxy as possible. For the star forming regions, I used my Optolong L-eNhance filter, which helped highlight the Hydrogen Alpha (Ha) emission areas, and the difference between with or without Ha was clear as day. I did not expect to see so many regions of star formation.

Back in 2023, I was fortunate enough to capture Supernova SN 2023ixf in Messier 101, just one day after it was widely reported that a supernova had occurred in this galaxy. At the time the supernova appeared as an incredibly bright dot in the image, though two years later, it is no longer visible. Despite the absence of the supernova now, Messier 101 remains a beautiful and captivating galaxy, and I am thrilled with how the final image turned out after 25 hours of exposure and a full day of processing.