Object	M81
Scale	3.55 arc-secs/pixel
North angle	177.26°
Date	03/23/01
Location	Lockwood Valley, CA
Equipment	TeleVue 101, ST7E, GM8
Processing	10 X 4 min, Gamma Stretch, MaxIM, Photoshop
Notes	Some iced dropouts due to -30 temp cooler set and high humidity.
Background	The M81 - M82 system with M81 being nearly as large and as dense as our Milky Way, is 10 million light years distant. Gravitational interaction between M81 and M82 is thought to have created the density waves in M81 and the highly distorted figure of M82. The two galaxies are currently one hundred thousand light years apart and traveling away from each other. Two hundred million years ago these two galaxies would have crossed paths and both looked very different from their current state.