re: M81 and M82 - the latter of which astronomers used to think was an exploding galaxy
Ya, that's exactly what I was seeing... thanks, great pix.
I think I can see distinct stars down to about mag 11 or so in the city, but M81 (Mag 7 or so?) was still just a fuzzy patch, and M82 was almost not even visible because of it's fuzziness and size. I only accidentally saw it with my peripheral vision at the edge of my lense.
I should to go up to the Sierras this weekend and find someplace dark. I built my telescope early last year, but haven't had a chance to use it away from the city lights yet.
Regards,
Pex