Galaxies
The Cigar Galaxy
The Cigar Galaxy (Messier 82), a starburst galaxy in Ursa Major 12 million light-years away, photographed by Pete Lawrence.
Target details
The Cigar Galaxy (Messier 82) is a starburst galaxy in Ursa Major, about 12 million light-years away. At 37,000 light-years across it's much smaller than the Milky Way, yet it's about five times brighter overall, and its centre is a hundred times brighter than ours. It was long thought to be an irregular galaxy, until near-infrared images in 2005 revealed two symmetrical spiral arms.
Capture details
Data captured 27th March, 2017.
36x 8 minute exposures at ISO200.
Equipment details
Skywatcher Quattro 200 CF
NEQ6 Pro
Nikon d7100
Skywatcher ST-80
QHY5L-II
Processing details
This image was processed in Pixinsight & Lightroom.
Quick facts
- What is The Cigar Galaxy?
- The Cigar Galaxy (Messier 82) is a starburst galaxy in Ursa Major, about 12 million light-years away. At 37,000 light-years across it's much smaller than the Milky Way, yet it's about five times brighter overall, and its centre is a hundred times brighter than ours.
- Where is it in the sky?
- In the constellation Ursa Major.
- What are its catalogue names?
- M82
- When was this photo taken?
- 27 March 2017
- What equipment was used?
- Skywatcher Quattro 200 CF, NEQ6 Pro, Nikon d7100, Skywatcher ST-80, QHY5L-II
- Where was it taken from?
- Lisburn, Northern Ireland.