deep-sky
galaxy (barred spiral)
M109
Messier 109 is a good example of a barred spiral galaxy which can be found in the constellation Ursa Major, to the south east of the star Phecda.
This galaxy lies at a distance of about 55 million light years.
It is the brightest galaxy in the so called M109 group, which is a large group of galaxies all located in Ursa Major.
In March 1956, a type Ia supernova was observed in the southeast part of M109.
Other / older versions :
Image information:
Object info
Name: M109
Type: Galaxy (barred spiral)
Constellation: Ursa Major
Distance: 55 Mly
Date & location
Date: March 18, 2009
Location: Landgraaf, The Netherlands
Equipment & optics
Total integration: 1h40m
Camera: Canon 20D
Optics: Orion Optics SPX 10″ Newton
Mount: Losmandy G-11 Gemini
Image comments
Weird star shapes in this image, probably due to the camera not being correctly placed in the focuser.
Several small background galaxies can be seen in the image as well.
