Galaxy
Bode's Galaxy
Spiral galaxy · M81 · NGC 3031
Spiral galaxy in Ursa Major
Photo: Ken Crawford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's Galaxy) is a grand design spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It has a D25 isophotal diameter of 29.44 kiloparsecs (96,000 light-years).
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~11.4–12.2 million light-years
Apparent mag.
+6.9
Apparent size
26.9′ × 14.1′
Best seen with
Binoculars
Catalogue
M81 · NGC 3031
Did you know
- Listed as Messier 81 in the Messier catalogue, also known as NGC 3031.
- Found in the constellation Ursa Major.
- Within reach of ordinary binoculars under dark skies.
