Messier 81 and 82 two galaxies in the constellation Ursa Major + Stars Over Bucks + LRGB

Messier 81 and 82 two galaxies in the constellation Ursa Major + Stars Over Bucks + LRGB

Credit: Stars Over Bucks (US)

 

Messier 81 and 82 two galaxies in the constellation Ursa Major. These galaxies are relatively close at 12 million light years away and the big one, M81 or Bode’s Galaxy, is 90,000 light years in diameter. It also has a massive black hole at its core with a mass 70 million that of the sun.  M82 (also known as the Cigar Galaxy), a starburst galaxy, is undergoing very high star formation due to interaction with M81. It measures 37,000 light years in diameter and its center is 100 times brighter than our own Milky Way. Surrounding the pair are a couple of smaller satellite galaxies and the very faint Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN). Unlike other star forming nebulas in our galaxies spiral arms, this wispy nebula lies away from our galaxies and is energized by all the stars in our galaxies. It’s mainly composed of dust, hydrogen and carbon monoxide and is very prevalent around the Celestial Pole where you find this galaxy pair. This is a reprocessed version of an image I captured early in the year under a dark sky, which made it possible to capture all the faint dust. 

 

 

Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit 100 f/5.5
Zwo ASI2600MM Pro
Exposure: 10 x 4min RGB, 150 x 4min L
Mount: Celestron CGX
Guiding: ASI290mini, 60mm scope
Filter: Optolong LRGB
Software: APT, DSS, Pixinsight 
Sky: Bortle 3.5

 

Enjoy~