Galaxy · Spiral
Bode's Galaxy (M81)
Bode's Galaxy (M81) is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 11.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 11.7 million light-years (3.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 88,100 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 6.68 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 55m 33.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +69° 03′ 54″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 6.68); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 21° S. North of latitude 21° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 12 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 208.3 billion years.