Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  Bode's Galaxy  ·  Cigar Galaxy  ·  HD85458  ·  HD86574  ·  M 81  ·  M 82  ·  NGC 3031  ·  NGC 3034  ·  NGC 3077
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The M81 Group, Andrew Barton
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The M81 Group

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The M81 Group, Andrew Barton
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The M81 Group

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Description

The M81 group is a collection of galaxies located approximately 12 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. At the lower center of this image lies the largest member, M81, a grand design spiral galaxy that is one of the brightest in the night sky. M81 is home to a supermassive black hole at its center, which is approximately 70 million times more massive than our sun. In the upper right lies M81's smaller neighbor, M82, which is also known as the "Cigar Galaxy" due to its elongated shape. M82 is a starburst galaxy, meaning it is undergoing an intense period of star formation, resulting in a high rate of supernovae explosions.  At the left is the third major member of the M81 group, NGC 3077, a dwarf, disrupted, elliptical galaxy. NGC 3077 is also experiencing active star formation. The blue fuzzy patch in the upper left quadrant of M81 is Holmberg IX or UGC 5336, a dwarf irregular galaxy and satellite of M81. It is believed that the gravitational interactions between these galaxies have played a significant role in shaping their structures and influencing their star formation activity.

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The M81 Group, Andrew Barton