Paweł Radomski: The Luminous Pair of Ursa Major (Messier 81/82)

Paweł Radomski: The Luminous Pair of Ursa Major - A Tale of Two Galaxies (and the Dust in Between)

In the constellation Ursa Major, two giants are locked in a gravitational dance 12 million light-years away. One is a picture-perfect spiral, calm and grand. The other is a chaotic starburst, exploding with new creation. But look closely at Paweł Radomski's masterpiece, and you'll see that the real story isn't just the galaxies—it's the ghostly veil through which we view them.

This is Messier 81 and Messier 82, the famous Bode's and Cigar galaxies. But this isn't the standard "textbook" image. Radomski's goal was far more ambitious: to capture the elusive Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN)—the faint, dusty cobwebs of our own Milky Way that hang in the foreground, obscuring the distant universe like smoke.

Most photographers process these faint clouds out, treating them as noise. Radomski fought to keep them in. The result is an image of profound depth, where distant islands of stars float behind the dusty curtain of our own galactic neighborhood.

Why This Image Is a Technical Triumph

To capture M81 and M82 is standard practice for astrophotographers. To capture the red hydrogen filaments blasting out of M82's core and the faint, smoky IFN surrounding both galaxies is a feat of mastery.

• M81 (Bode's Galaxy) is the grand spiral on the left, a "grand design" galaxy similar to our Milky Way, its perfect arms glowing with starlight.
• M82 (The Cigar Galaxy) on the right is a galaxy in turmoil. Gravitational interactions with M81 have triggered a massive burst of star formation, driving red filaments of ionized hydrogen gas thousands of light-years into space—visible here as striking red plumes erupting from the galaxy's center.

Surrounding them both is the IFN—dim clouds of dust illuminated not by a single star, but by the collective glow of the entire Milky Way. Capturing this requires incredibly long exposures and precise processing to balance the blinding brightness of the galaxies with the whisper-faint dust.

Technical details:

• Scope: TS Newton 8" f/5 Carbon
• Mount: Sky Watcher AZ-EQ6
• Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MM-Camera
• Filters: Antlia Ha 3nm / LRGB
• Processing: PixInsight 

Exposure Times:

• Ha:350x180sec
• L: 445x180sec
• RGB: 50x120sec each channel
• TOTAL: 44h 45'

Choose Your Quality Level

Fine Art Print – The Collector’s Choice

This image demands the finest reproduction possible. Our Fine Art prints use museum-grade paper and archival inks to ensure that the subtle grey wisps of the IFN and the vibrant red hydrogen jets of M82 are perfectly preserved. The depth and dynamic range of this print are stunning—it looks less like a photograph and more like a window. Rated to last 200+ years, this is an investment piece for those who appreciate the full complexity of the cosmos.

Poster – Cosmic Impact

Want the visual drama without the museum price? Our poster version delivers Radomski’s Luminous Pair with high contrast and sharp detail. The galaxies pop against the dark background, making it a perfect centerpiece for a study, office, or living room.

Who Is This Print For?

• The Deep-Sky Expert – You know that capturing the IFN is the mark of a true master. You don't just want galaxies; you want the context, the dust, the "real" view of the universe.
• The Contrast Lover – You are drawn to the duality: the order of the spiral M81 versus the chaos of the starburst M82. It is a visual metaphor for the universe itself.
• The Detail Obsessive – You want an image you can stare at for hours, finding new details in the dust lanes and hydrogen filaments every time.
• The Education Seeker – This single image teaches valuable lessons about galaxy types (spiral vs. irregular), star formation (starburst galaxies), and galactic structure (foreground flux nebulae).

Bring the Dance Home

This is more than a picture of two galaxies. It is a portrait of interaction, evolution, and the dusty veil of our own galaxy. It is Paweł Radomski’s ambitious vision, fully realized.

Add this museum-quality fine art print or budget-friendly poster to your collection today.