M-102 (NGC-5866) A 1 0.7 magnitude edge-on lenticular galaxy with dust lane, located in the constellation of Draco, not far from the larger edge-on spiral galaxy NGC-5907. This galaxy was originally listed in the NGC catalog as number 5866, but later was added to the list of Messier Objects (non-stellar objects cataloged by Charles Messier between 1771 and 1781) as an additional item, number 102. This was due to an error in listing the coordinates of the object when it was first observed by Messier's assistant Pierre Mechain, who observed it in April of 1781. Due to the confusion about the exact coordinates, this object was originally thought to be a duplicate observation of M-101. Later studies corrected this error, and NGC-5866 was given the additional designation of M-102.
This image, acquired on July 21, 2023, is a 1 hour 50 minute integration of 2 minute exposures through the Celestron C-11 at f/6.3, using the Starizona Reducer/Corrector III, and the ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro CMOS camera, operating at -10 degrees below ambient temperature and binned 1 X 1. Acquired, guided and imaged using N.I.N.A (Night time Imaging 'N' Astronomy). Combined and stretched using Maxim DL 5. Post processed using PhotoShop CS2, Gradient XTerminator, StarShrink, Carboni's Astro-Tools and NoiseWare.