This is a combination of M81 and M81 taken on the morning of 5/7/2020. It is from a stack of 40 exposures of 300 seconds each, stacked in Images Plus, processed with PixInsight and finally Photoshop.
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. Due to its proximity to Earth, large size and active galactic nucelus, 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 the prototype nearby starburst galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. The starburst galaxy is five times brighter than the whole Milky Way and one hundred times brighter than our galaxy’s center.
In 2005, the Hubble Space Telescope revealed 197 young massive clusters in the starburst core. The average mass of these clusters is around 2×105 M, hence the starburst core is a very energetic and high-density environment. Throughout the galaxy’s center, young stars are being born 10 times faster than they are inside our entire Milky Way Galaxy.
Imaging Data:
Date: 2/27/2022 reprocessed on 1/18/2024
Exposure= 300s x 70 of which 49 were used for 4h 5m
Binning = 2×2
Gain = 100
Camera Temperature= -10 deg C
Filter= IADS-NBZ Narrowband Filter
Camera = ASI2600MC PRO in Hyperstar position