The M81 group, about 12 million light years away, hosts several remarkable galaxies. Messier 81 (M81), a large spiral galaxy, has a diameter of about 90,000 light years and is known for its pronounced spiral appearance and a supermassive black hole at its centre. Its distance to Earth is 11.8 million light years.
Just a little further away lies Messier 82 (M82), the Cigar Galaxy, which stands out for its unusual shape and high star-formation rate. It too lies at a distance of about 11.5 million light years and has a cigar-like structure, intensified by its interactions with M81.
Nearby is also IC 2574, an irregular dwarf galaxy about 12 million light years away. This galaxy is characterised by an irregular shape and an extended region of active star formation.
In addition, NGC 2976, about 11.6 million light years away, as well as the galaxies NGC 2959 and NGC 2961, about 90 million light years away, belong to the cosmic environment of the M81 cluster.
| IMAGE DATA | |
|---|---|
| Object | M81-Galaxynhaufen |
| Distance | approx. 12 million light years (bzw. 90 million light years |
| Date | 21., 29. & 30.01.2025 |
| Exposure | Each 36x 180sec. RGB, 47x 300sec. Luminance & 50x 300sec. HA - Total 13.5h |
| Mount | Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro |
| Telescope | William Optics Redcat 51 |
| Camera | ZWO ASI 2600mm with ZWO RGB & Ha Filter |
| Guiding | Zwo Asi OAG with ZWO Asi 290mm Mini & Asiair |
| Software | AsiAir, Astropixel Processor, Photoshop CC, Noise X Terminator AI, Star X Terminator, Nik Collection 7 |