Introducing the Condor Array Telescope. V. Deep Broad- and Narrow-Band Imaging Observations of the M81 Group

TL;DR

This paper presents deep multi-band imaging of the M81 Group using the Condor Array Telescope, revealing intricate ionized gas structures, filaments, and shells, enhancing understanding of the group's intergalactic medium.

Contribution

It provides the first deep, wide-field imaging of the M81 Group with combined broad- and narrow-band filters, highlighting detailed ionized gas features and complex filamentary structures.

Findings

Detection of extensive ionized gas filaments and shells.

Identification of the 'Ursa Major Arc' filament.

Revealed complex gas structures between M81 and NGC 2976.

Abstract

We used the Condor Array Telescope to obtain deep imaging observations through the luminance broad-band and He II 468.6 nm, [O III] 500.7 nm, He I 587.5 nm, H$\alpha$, [N II] 658.4 nm, and [S II] 671.6 nm narrow-band filters of an extended region comprising 13 "Condor fields" spanning $\approx 8 \times 8$ deg$^2$ on the sky centered near M81 and M82. Here we describe the acquisition and processing of these observations, which together constitute unique very deep imaging observations of a large portion of the M81 Group through a complement of broad- and narrow-band filters. The images are characterized by an intricate web of faint, diffuse, continuum produced by starlight scattered from Galactic cirrus, and all prominent cirrus features identified in the broad-band image can also be identified in the narrow-band images. We subtracted the luminance image from the narrow-band images to leave more or less only line emission in the difference images, and we masked regions of the resulting images around stars at an isophotal limit. The difference images exhibit extensive extended structures of ionized gas in the direction of the M81 Group, from known galaxies of the M81 Group, clouds of gas, filamentary structures, and apparent or possible bubbles or shells. Specifically, the difference images show a remarkable filament known as the "Ursa Major Arc;" a remarkable network of criss-crossed filaments between M81 and NGC 2976, some of which intersect and overlap the Ursa Major Arc; and details of a "giant shell of ionized gas."