Galactic Neighbors: Galaxies M81 & M82 in Ursa Major | NOIRLab
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the KPNO 0.9m-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. M81 (the spiral galaxy on the left) and M82 (the galaxy on the right) are two relatively nearby galaxies that are gravitationally interacting with each other. This interaction is triggering the formation of new stars in M82 at a massive rate, which can be seen from the filaments of red hydrogen gas in the galaxy. The very faint irregular dwarf galaxy Holmberg IX can barely be seen above M81. The image was generated with observations in B (blue), V (cyan), R (green), I (orange) and Hydrogen-Alpha (red). In this image, North is right, East is up.
Distance between M81 & M82: 150,000 light years
M81 & M82 Distance to Earth: 12 million light years
Credit: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) and NOIRLab/National Science Foundation (NSF)/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
Release Date: June 30, 2020
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