Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  Bode's Galaxy  ·  Cigar Galaxy  ·  HD85161  ·  HD85458  ·  HD85533  ·  HD86574  ·  M 81  ·  M 82  ·  NGC 3031  ·  NGC 3034  ·  NGC 3077
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M81 & M82 - Bode's Galaxy & The Cigar Galaxy, Aleksandar Todorovic
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M81 & M82 - Bode's Galaxy & The Cigar Galaxy

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M81 & M82 - Bode's Galaxy & The Cigar Galaxy, Aleksandar Todorovic
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M81 & M82 - Bode's Galaxy & The Cigar Galaxy

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Description

The M81 Group is a galaxy group in the constellations Ursa Major and Camelopardalis that includes the galaxies Messier 81 and Messier 82, as well as several other galaxies with high apparent brightnesses. The approximate center of the group is located at a distance of 3.6 Mpc, making it one of the nearest groups to the Local Group. The M81 Group, the Local Group, and other nearby groups all lie within the Virgo Supercluster (i.e. the Local Supercluster).

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

Messier 82 (also known as NGC 3034, Cigar Galaxy or M82) is a starburst galaxy approximately 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It is the second-largest member of the M81 Group. It is about five times more luminous than the Milky Way and its central region is about one hundred times more luminous. The starburst activity is thought to have been triggered by interaction with neighboring galaxy M81. As one of the closest starburst galaxies to Earth, M82 is the prototypical example of this galaxy type. In 2014, in studying M82, scientists discovered the brightest pulsar yet known, designated M82 X-2.

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M81 & M82 - Bode's Galaxy & The Cigar Galaxy, Aleksandar Todorovic