Galaxies M 81 and M 82

The M81 Group is a galaxy group in the constellations Ursa Major and Camelopardalis. It includes the well-known galaxies M81 "Bode's Galaxy" and M82 ("Cigar Galaxy," on the right in the photo), along with several fainter galaxies. The group's center is approximately 11.7 million light-years away, making it one of the closest galaxy groups to us.

Bode's Galaxy and the Cigar Galaxy are about 12 million light-years from Earth. They are interacting, exerting strong gravitational influence on each other. This interaction has funneled interstellar gas into the center of M82, triggering intense star formation. Like many other galaxies, both M82 and M81 harbor supermassive black holes at their centers. In January 2014, supernova SN 2014J erupted in galaxy M82, which I also observed.