Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  Bode's Galaxy  ·  Cigar Galaxy  ·  M 81  ·  M 82  ·  NGC 3031  ·  NGC 3034  ·  NGC 3077

Image of the day 05/11/2022

M81/M82 - Bode's & Cigar, Yizhou Zhang
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M81/M82 - Bode's & Cigar

Image of the day 05/11/2022

M81/M82 - Bode's & Cigar, Yizhou Zhang
Powered byPixInsight

M81/M82 - Bode's & Cigar

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Description

This pair of Messiers is popular around this time of the year; M81 (Bode's Galaxy) and M82 (Cigar Galaxy) locate in the Constellation of Ursa Major, around 12 million light years away from Earth. The pair have been locked in gravitational combat for a billion years. Gravity from each galaxy has profoundly affected the other during a series of cosmic close encounters. Right next to M81 there is a small blue "drizzle" which is the dwarf irregular galaxy Holmberg IX. The whole area is also filled with Integrated Flux Nebula, faint dust clouds reflecting light not from remote object, but from our own Milky Way.

I've targeted on this pair numerous times throughout the hobby; previous attempt was last Winter from my backyard. This is an interesting framing with ample large-scale structure as well as fine details from the Galaxies. I have the ambition to touch on both, but didn't do well enough on neither..

Galaxy is really not my thing 

#WTO

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M81/M82 - Bode's & Cigar, Yizhou Zhang

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