A few tens of million years ago, which is semi-recently on the cosmic time
scale, a close encounter occurred between the galaxies M81 and M82. During this
event, larger and more massive M81 (center) has dramatically deformed M82 (right)
by gravitational interaction. The encounter has also left traces in the spiral
pattern of the brighter and larger galaxy M81, first making it overall more
pronounced, and second in the form of the dark linear feature in the lower left
of the nuclear region. The galaxies are still close together, their centers
separated by a linear distance of only about 150,000 light years.
Because with its total visual brightness of about 6.8 magnitudes, spiral galaxy
M81 can be found with small instruments. Distance of M81 is 12 million light
year. This wide-field image is obtained through Megrez 80 triplet fluorite apo
at f6 (Canon EOS 300D, 400ASA, 40 minutes total exposure - an airplane fly through
a field of view).
Galaxy pair obtained through a Megrez 80 Apo on Starlight Xpress SXVF M8C CCD camera. Image is composite of 2 hour total exposure (September 2006).
Close-up of spiral galaxy M81 on April 28. 2005 through a Celestron C 9,25
(Meade focal reducer f3,3; Pixcel 237 CCD, cooled at -6 degree; exposure: LRGB
image.
Lumina: Track and accumulate, total exposure 45 min. Color (2x2 binning):Red:
20 min.; Gren 20 min.; Blue 30 min.).
My first image of M81: Celestron 8 at f/3,3 and Pixcel 237 CCD Camera. Luminance image is composite
of 50x30 second exposure; Red 17x30 second ; Green 19x30 s and Blue 22x30 second.
Images are processed in CCDSoft v5, AIP for Win and Photoshop.
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