Astronomy Magazine – Your source for the latest news on astronomy, observing events, space missions, and more.

Going deep

Emanuele La Barbera, taken from Piano Battaglia, Sicily, Italy

This deep view of Bode’s Galaxy (M81; center), the Cigar Galaxy (M82; lower left), and NGC 3077 (lower right) is the result of more than 59 hours of HαLRGB exposure split across a a 3.3-inch refractor and 5-inch reflector. The wispy clouds this image reveals are a combination of galactic cirrus — tendrils of dust within our Milky Way — and neutral hydrogen clouds that belong to this trio of galaxies.