Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  Bode's Galaxy  ·  M 81  ·  NGC 3031
M81, Jan Sjoerd de Vries
M81
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M81

M81, Jan Sjoerd de Vries
M81
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M81

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Description

Long exposure to reveal the weak stellar streams and extended emissions of the galaxy:

Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's Galaxy) is a grand design spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away, with a diameter of 90,000 light years, about half the size of the Milky Way, in the constellation Ursa Major. Due to its proximity to Earth, large size, and active galactic nucleus (which harbors a 70 million solar mass supermassive black hole), Messier 81 has been studied extensively by professional astronomers.

Gravitational interactions between M81 and M82 have stripped hydrogen gas away from these galaxies, forming visible, gaseous filamentary structures in the group. Moreover, these interactions have allowed interstellar gas to fall into the center of M82, leading to vigorous star formation or starburst activity there.

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M81, Jan Sjoerd de Vries