M81 and M82

Two galaxies in Ursa Major that appear to be interacting, causing violent star formation in the smaller M82. They are visible in telescopes to the upper right of the bowl of the Plough, on a line from the bottom left star to the top right and the same distance away. Lots of galaxies in Ursa Major.

These were taken on 28.1.08, with an M25C and 80ED Skywatcher on a Meade 14" mount. The exposure was  17x300sec. Acquisition and processing in AA4 and PS7.

A larger version

Back to the Galaxies Page