Messier 82, NGC 3034, Cigar Galaxy or M82)
Taken from DGRO Rancho Hidalgo Animas, New Mexico
14.5" RCOS F8 Apogee U16M High Cooling.
Luminance 510, Red 220, Green 180, Blue 240
A starburst galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. In the Catalogue of Named Galaxies, it is called Fumitonans Ursae Majoris, or the exploding cigar galaxy. A member of the M81 Group, it is about five times more luminous than the whole Milky Way and has a center one hundred times more luminous than our galaxy's center. The starburst activity is thought to have been triggered by interaction with neighboring galaxy M81. As the closest starburst galaxy to Earth, M82 is the prototypical example of this galaxy type.