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| M81 & M82 |
M81
& M82
Bode's Nebula and the Cigar Galaxy
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| Object | M81 -- Spiral Galaxy and M82 -- Irregular Galazy |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Date Aquired | 03/10/2003 |
| Camera | ST-2000XM with CFW-8 |
| Exposure | 16x5Min L, 5X10Min R (2x2), 5X5Min G (2x2), 5X8Min B (2x2) |
| Telescope | Takahashi 102 with F/5.9 focal reducer |
| Mount | Losmandy G11 |
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These are a pair of galaxies in a gravitational dance to the death, 12 million light years from earth. During the recent brush by that occurred 600 million years ago, the galaxy on the left, M81, acquired its spiral arms. The galaxy on the right, M82, got so distorted by the gradational interactions, that huge dust clouds collapsed, creating a great wave of star creation. The red color in the center of this galaxy is hydrogen gas being thrown out. They are once again on a collision course, and in about 1 1/2 billion years, they should merge to form a single galaxy. |