A classic! Without these objects, spring isn't really spring. M 81 (Bode) is located at a distance of about 11 million light-years, with a diameter of about 70,000 light-years and an angular size of 24.9' × 11.5'. M 82 (Cigar) is about 12 million light-years away from us, with a diameter of about 38,000 light-years and an angular size of 11.2' × 4.3'. M 81 is in gravitational interaction with M 82, which leads to the appearance of filamentary gas structures in the group. Gravity also causes interstellar gas to be drawn into the center of Messier 82, which leads to active star formation in this galaxy.
Comments
There are no comments on this picture yet
Comments are available only to registered users. Register or log in to leave a comment.