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GALEX View of M81-M82 Group

GALEX View of M81-M82 Group

About the Object

  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Ursa Major
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    12 million light-years (3.6 Megaparsecs)

About the Data

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    GALEX
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    M81 - M82 Galaxy Group
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Galaxy Group
  • Release Date
    January 8, 2008
  • Science Release
    Hubble Finds that “Blue Blobs” in Space Are Orphaned Clusters of Stars
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and D. de Mello (Catholic University of America and GSFC)

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GALEX View of M81-M82 Group
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

Ultraviolet

Related Images & Videos

Location of the Blue Blobs in Galaxy Group

Location of the Blue Blobs in Galaxy Group

[LEFT] A GALEX ultraviolet image of the interacting galaxies M81 and M82, which lie 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. The gravity from each galaxy dramatically affected the other during their last close encounter, 200 million years ago. Gas density...

Hubble View of Arp's Loop

Hubble View of Arp's Loop

A field of blue, white, and red stars and galaxies against the black background of space. There is an irregular, denser grouping of stars in the center.

Dwarf Galaxy Holmberg IX

This loose collection of stars is actually a dwarf irregular galaxy, called Holmberg IX. It resides just off the outer edge of M81, a large spiral galaxy in Ursa Major. This image was taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys in early 2006. Holmberg IX is of the so-called...

Ground-based View of M81-M82 Group

Ground-based View of M81-M82 Group

Location of the M81/M82 Galaxy Group on the Sky

Location of the M81/M82 Galaxy Group on the Sky

Hubble Zooms in on Dwarf Galaxy

Hubble Zooms in on Dwarf Galaxy

This is a zoom into the dwarf irregular galaxy called Holmberg IX. It resides just off the outer edge of M81, a large spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. Video starts with a backyard view of Ursa Major. Camera zooms into the M81 and M82 galaxy pair. Scene ends with...

Hubble Zooms in on "Blue Blobs" in Space

Hubble Zooms in on "Blue Blobs" in Space

This is a zoom into the "blue blobs" found along a wispy bridge of gas strung among three colliding galaxies, M81, M82, and NGC 3077 residing about 12 million light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major. Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope...

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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