In today's image, we see two galaxies: M81 - a spiral galaxy and M82 - an irregular galaxy. These are two galaxies that are interacting, enhancing star formation in both galaxies. In a few billion years, the two galaxies will merge, creating a single, larger galaxy.

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This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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