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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                   2025 April 10   
      
                            38 Hours with the M81 Group   
                     Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Yang K.   
      
      Explanation: From a garden on planet Earth, 38 hours of exposure with a   
      camera and small telescope produced this cosmic photo of the M81 galaxy   
      group. In fact, the group's dominant galaxy M81 is near the center of   
      the frame sporting grand spiral arms and a bright yellow core. Also   
      known as Bode's galaxy, M81 itself spans some 100,000 light-years. Near   
      the top is cigar-shaped irregular galaxy M82. The pair have been locked   
      in gravitational combat for a billion years. Gravity from each galaxy   
      has profoundly affected the other during a series of cosmic close   
      encounters. Their last go-round lasted about 100 million years and   
      likely raised density waves rippling around M81, resulting in massive   
      star forming regions arrayed along M81's spiral arms. M82 was left with   
      violent star forming regions too, and colliding gas clouds so energetic   
      that the galaxy glows in X-rays. In the next few billion years, their   
      continuing gravitational encounters will result in a merger, and a   
      single galaxy will remain. Another group member, NGC 3077 is below and   
      left of the large spiral M81. Far far away, about 12 million   
      light-years distant the M81 group galaxies are seen toward the northern   
      constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear). But in the closer foreground   
      the wide-field image is filled with integrated flux nebulae whose   
      faint, dusty interstellar clouds reflect starlight above the plane of   
      our own Milky Way galaxy.   
      
                           Tomorrow's picture: a matinee   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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