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Astronomy Picture of the Day - 38 Hours with the M81 Group
NASA ^ | 10 Apr, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Yang K.

Posted on 04/10/2025 12:03:08 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: From a garden on planet Earth, 38 hours of exposure with a camera and small telescope produced this cosmic photo of the M81 galaxy group. In fact, the group's dominant galaxy M81 is near the center of the frame sporting grand spiral arms and a bright yellow core. Also known as Bode's galaxy, M81 itself spans some 100,000 light-years. Near the top is cigar-shaped irregular galaxy M82. The pair have been locked in gravitational combat for a billion years. Gravity from each galaxy has profoundly affected the other during a series of cosmic close encounters. Their last go-round lasted about 100 million years and likely raised density waves rippling around M81, resulting in massive star forming regions arrayed along M81's spiral arms. M82 was left with violent star forming regions too, and colliding gas clouds so energetic that the galaxy glows in X-rays. In the next few billion years, their continuing gravitational encounters will result in a merger, and a single galaxy will remain. Another group member, NGC 3077 is below and left of the large spiral M81. Far far away, about 12 million light-years distant the M81 group galaxies are seen toward the northern constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear). But in the closer foreground the wide-field image is filled with integrated flux nebulae whose faint, dusty interstellar clouds reflect starlight above the plane of our own Milky Way galaxy.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa
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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 04/10/2025 12:03:08 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 04/10/2025 12:03:28 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 04/10/2025 12:04:11 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Would really like to see the servo mechanism that moves the scope in the precise alignment. 38 hours is a long time considering earths rotation...


4 posted on 04/10/2025 12:08:51 PM PDT by sit-rep
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To: sit-rep

The 38 hours would be over multiple days, probably weeks. Modern telescope mounts which are well polar aligned can track very well. There is also the use of a guide scope which fixates on a star or star field making slight adjustments to the mount as needed. Accuracy within a couple of pixels is possible. Digital cameras and computerization has revolutionized (amateur) astronomy such that a $500 smart scope will do better than professional rigs of 30 years ago.


5 posted on 04/10/2025 12:15:18 PM PDT by cephalopod (First, kill all the lawyers.)
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To: sit-rep

It takes several days to get that much exposure. Not a cheap telescope by any means.


6 posted on 04/10/2025 12:16:47 PM PDT by Seruzawa ("The Political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence" - Marx the Smarter (Groucho))
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To: sit-rep

38 hours of accumulated data, over multiple nights. The software stacks it all. That’s a LOT of data…


7 posted on 04/10/2025 12:17:58 PM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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To: cephalopod; Seruzawa; telescope115

hmmm... and here I always thought seeing the craters on the moon was impressive thru a home telescope!!


8 posted on 04/10/2025 12:23:35 PM PDT by sit-rep
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To: MtnClimber
That M81 group are a bunch of troublemakers for sure.
9 posted on 04/10/2025 12:25:45 PM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: central_va

MS81 competing with MS13 for street cred.


10 posted on 04/10/2025 12:28:20 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

The M80 group are explosive.


11 posted on 04/10/2025 12:29:55 PM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


12 posted on 04/10/2025 1:23:41 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: central_va

M-80 was our favorite explosive as a kid.

I gather they hand wringers have outlawed them for sale now.

Cherry bombs too, no doubt.


13 posted on 04/10/2025 1:26:25 PM PDT by doorgunner69 (Your oath of enlistment has no expiration date)
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To: sit-rep

Indeed it is! It’s also incredible what modern technology can do with astrophotography. I have a planetary camera that is capable of taking from 136 to 200 photos a second for as many seconds or minutes as you want.The computer software will pick the best (sharpest) images and “stack” them for maximum detail.


14 posted on 04/10/2025 2:20:42 PM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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To: telescope115

well without hi-jacking mt climber’s thread, when an opportunity arises, post some pics!! or if you got a FB, PM me a link. I dig that stuff. I do an occasional gopro time lapse(night lapse) and always catch a meteor!! knock on wood..


15 posted on 04/10/2025 2:26:18 PM PDT by sit-rep
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To: sit-rep

With apologies to mt climber, here’s a photo of the Sun I took last fall. I’m new at this, so I don’t yet have any other subjects photographed.
< img” https://share.icloud.com/photos/01dpgxfw74k-gafr7qktoDLwA/>
Hope this works, it’s my first attempt from my iPad.


16 posted on 04/10/2025 3:16:32 PM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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To: moder_ator

Could. You please delete my previous post? I might have inadvertently posted it wrong.


17 posted on 04/10/2025 3:23:15 PM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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To: telescope115

Wow... thats clear!! and big!! Next time your messing around, get one of the moon!!


18 posted on 04/10/2025 3:42:53 PM PDT by sit-rep
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To: sit-rep

Thanks! I was going to photograph the Moon one night, but by the time I had everything set up, the Moon moved behind some trees…..
I’ll get some this year…🙂🔭


19 posted on 04/10/2025 4:33:59 PM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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To: sit-rep

This is the computer that controls my mount.

https://www.zwoastro.com/product/asiair-plus/

And this is my mount the follows the stars.

https://www.zwoastro.com/product/zwo-am3-harmonic-equatorial-mount/

And this is my telescope

https://agenaastro.com/askar-103apo-triplet-apo-refractor-telescope.html

I shot the same target last month, but didn’t get nearly as much data as the APOD picture.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=9337713106346121&set=a.3599444953506327


20 posted on 04/10/2025 6:42:15 PM PDT by Islander7 (There is no septic system so vile, so filthy, the left won't drink from to further their agenda.)
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