Arriving at this finished photo was quite the journey! It took 36 hours of total exposure time and is made up of a 1x2 mosaic.

These two neighboring galaxies belong to the M81 Group, which got its name from Messier 81 (the big galaxy on the right hand side in the photo). They are located roughly 12 Million Light years from earth in the constellation of Ursae Majoris (Big Bear).

Messier 81 (also known as “The Bodes Galaxy”) is one of the most prominent spiral galaxies. It features two very prominent spiral arms with a very bright core. The galaxy is estimated to be the home to roughly 250 billion star systems.

The weird looking shape of the galaxy on the right gave it the rather unique name Cigar Galaxy (or Messier 82). This galaxy is categorized as a starburst galaxy, meaning it is undergoing an exceptionally strong phase of star formation.

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