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Credit & Copyright: Wissam Ayoub
Explanation:
One of the brightest galaxies in planet Earth's sky is similar in size
to our Milky Way Galaxy: big,
beautiful
Messier 81.
Also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's galaxy for its 18th century discoverer,
this grand spiral
can be found toward the northern constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear.
The sharp,
detailed telescopic view reveals M81's bright yellow nucleus, blue
spiral arms, pinkish starforming regions, and sweeping
cosmic dust lanes.
Some dust lanes actually run through the galactic disk (left of center),
contrary to other prominent
spiral features though.
The errant dust lanes may be the lingering
result of a close encounter between
M81 and the nearby galaxy M82 lurking outside of this frame.
M81's faint, dwarf irregular satellite galaxy, Holmberg IX,
can be seen just below the large spiral.
Scrutiny of variable stars in M81 has yielded a
well-determined distance
for an external galaxy -- 11.8 million light-years.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: spiral galaxy - M 81
Publications with words: spiral galaxy - M 81
See also:
- Webb and Hubble: IC 5332
- APOD: 2026 February 4 Á Spiral Galaxy NGC 1512: Wide Field
- Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1365 from Webb
- APOD: 2026 January 14 Á M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
- IC 342: Hidden Galaxy in Camelopardalis
- NGC 253: Dusty Island Universe
- APOD: 2025 November 5 Á Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370 from Hubble