Dale — Among Stars

Astrophotography · Edinburgh, Scotland

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galaxy · M82 & M81

Cigar Galaxy & Bode's Galaxy

9 Feb 2026 Edinburgh 4h integration
Cigar Galaxy & Bode's Galaxy (M82 & M81) — astrophotography from Edinburgh

M81 and M82 form a striking interacting pair 12 million light-years away. Gravitational disturbance from M81 has triggered a ferocious burst of star formation in M82, the Cigar Galaxy, at a rate roughly ten times that of the Milky Way. The resulting supernovae drive a dramatic superwind of hot gas that erupts perpendicular to M82’s disc, visible here as diffuse red filaments of hydrogen.

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