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M 81

Boodes nebula

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Technical details:

Location / Date: Outside of Kopparberg, Västmanland, Sweden / 2016-November

Optics: Orion Optics UK AG12

Mount: 10 Micron GM1000 HPS (Unguided)

Camera: Canon EOS 100D (Modded with Baader ACF filter)

Exposure: 63 x 300 seconds at ISO 3200 and 32 x 60s at ISO 1600 for the galaxy center

(cumulative exposure time is 6 hours and 15 minutes)

Processing: Pixinsight and Photoshop

 

Image details:

Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Messier 81 was first discovered by Johann Elert Bode in 1774.Consequently, the galaxy is sometimes referred to as "Bode's Galaxy". In 1779, Pierre MĂ©chain and Charles Messier reidentified Bode's object, which was subsequently listed in the Messier Catalogue. 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.

M81 is a member of the M81 Group. Messier 81 is the largest galaxy in the M81 Group, a group of 34 galaxies located in the constellation Ursa Major. At approximately 11.7 Mly (3.6 Mpc) from the Earth, it makes this group and the Local Group, containing the Milky Way, relative neighbors in the Virgo Supercluster. Gravitational interactions of M81 with M82 and NGC 3077 have stripped hydrogen gas away from all three galaxies, forming gaseous filamentary structures in the group. Moreover, these interactions have allowed interstellar gas to fall into the centers of M82 and NGC 3077, leading to vigorous star formation or starburst activity there. (Information from Wikipedia)

 
 

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