11-15-2023, 12:06 AM
M81 and M82
M81 (left) is about 12 million light years away and is 96000 light years in diameter. M82 (right) is also about 12 million light years away and is 40800 light years in diameter.
Due to a gravitational influence from M81, M82 has a starburst region (the red area near the center of the galaxy) which is an area of active star formation.
The image is a combination of 60 images that took a little over 3 hours to capture.