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Two of the showpiece objects in the northern sky, M81 and M82 are a beautiful sight even in binoculars or small telescopes. They are located at a distance of 12 million light-years. M81, on the left side of the image, has been glimpsed with the naked eye by a few observers under exceptional conditions. The two main spiral arms, with numerous red HII regions, are visible in this image, as well as several dust lanes.  M82's irregular appearance is enhanced by the dust and explosive gas flows seen near the center of the galaxy.

Instrument: ST-10XME/Vixen 102-ED
F-ratio: f/6.5
Exposure: LRGB: L 8 x 5 minutes, binned 1x1: R 8 x 4 minutes: G 8 x 4 minutes: B 8 x 4 minutes: RGB binned 2x2
Date: March 11 and April 10, 2005
Location: Landers, California, USA
Technical Notes: Individual exposures were dithered using CCDAutoPilot and then sigma combined. RGB images were combined in Registar 1.0 and the LRGB image composited in Photoshop CS.