Description
This is a reprocess (for improved color and noise removal) of Messier 82--the Cigar Galaxy--one of the most fascinating nearby galaxies, particularly with its brilliant filaments of hydrogen. This photo was featured in BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
Tidal (gravitational) interactions with the nearby Messier 81 (Bode's Galaxy) have warped and compressed the galaxy, leading to at least a tenfold faster rate of star formation. This phenomenon is why M82 is referred to as a starburst galaxy. Moreover, it is the closest known example of a starburst galaxy, leaving it delightfully accessible to us amateur astrophotographers. The characteristic hydrogen filaments are blasted out from the regions of rapid star formation in strong galactic "superwinds". The Planetary Society has a beautiful writeup on M82 here: https://www.planetary.org/space-images/m82-the-cigar-galaxy
This image was gathered over two observing nights in February 2022 with an 8" Schmidt Cassegrain telescope in my Indiana backyard. The first night gathered 7 hours of five-minute exposures to get the overall color and expression. The second night gathered 9 hours of five-minute dual-narrowband exposures and extracted ionized hydrogen to further bring out those gorgeous hydrogen filaments. The two datasets were individually stacked and then combined as HaRGB, giving a total of 16 hours of exposure time.
This is my first time imaging this target, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I have! Please do take the time to explore: there are several distant galaxies lurking in the background to be discovered.
Further technical details can be found here: https://www.astrobin.com/s5l648/