Here is the color version of the two interacting galaxies, combined Luminence, RGB and H-Alpha Total Exposure time 37.6 hours Location: DownUnder Observatory, Fremont MI Date of Shoot 21st, 30th, 31st January 2012, 1st, 5th, 6th, 9th, 11th, 13th February 2012 22 x 40 min LUM 1x1 10 x 5 min LUM 1x1 RGB 6x15 min each 1x1 7x40, 13x60 min H-Alpha 1x1 Camera: QHY9M monochrome CCD www.astrofactors.com StarlightXpress Color Filter Wheel Optics: Thomas M. Back TMB 130SS F7 Refractor www.astronomics.com/main/product.asp/catalog_name/Astrono... Williams Optics WO68 Field Flattener. Autoguided using QHY5 autoguider, StarlightXpress Ultra Slim Off Axis guider Paramount GT-1100S German Equatorial Mount (with MKS 4000) Image Aquisition software Maxim DL5 Stacking software CCDStack Post Processed with Photoshop CS5 Star Spikes Pro II purchase a print follow me on Facebook twitter Down Under Observatory YouTube M81, also known as Bode's Galaxy, (seen on the right of this image) is a large spiral galaxy roughly 12 million light-years distant in the constellation of Ursa Major. It is currently engaged in a tidal dance with its nearby neighbor M82, also known as the Cigar Galaxy. During their last close encounter around a hundred million years ago, M81 disturbed the less massive M82 and unleashed a migration of interstellar dust and gas into a halo which is now causing active star-birthing at a prodigious rate. M82 is also a spiral galaxy, seen edge-on from our vantage point, but this fact was only recently discovered due to the aforementioned rate at which it is forming new stars; the young supermasisive stars being birthed cause M82 to outshine our own much more massive Milky Way by 5 times in brightness across the electromagnetic spectrum and hides many of its features. Tidal interactions commonly cause a quiescent galaxy to become active in producing new stars (like M82) and during this period, the galaxy is referred to as a starburst galaxy. M81 is the most massive galaxy of the M81 Group, the nearest galactic group to our own Local Group of galaxies, and together form a small portion of the Local Supercluster. Holmberg IX is a dwarf irregular galaxy and a satellite galaxy to M81 and can be seen in this image directly below M81. About the IFN (Integrated Flux Nebula) Spread throught this image can be seen a lot of dust which is made up of diffuse gas and dust clouds eminating from our own Milky Way Galaxy and not from the vecinity of the M81 and M82 galaxies, more about it here: www.galaxyimages.com/UNP_IFNebula.html