Galaxy · Irregular
Cigar Galaxy (M82)
Cigar Galaxy (M82) is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 11.4 million light-years away. A galaxy undergoing explosive star formation triggered by its interaction with M81.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 11.4 million light-years (3.50 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 35,900 light-years · 0.41 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.12 |
| Luminosity | 0.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 55m 52.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +69° 40′ 48″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.12); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 20° S. North of latitude 20° 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 11 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 202.5 billion years.