🔭 M81

Galaxy in Ursa Major

M81 is a galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major, with an apparent magnitude of about 6.9, roughly 11,800 thousand light-years away.

Data

Catalogue designation	M81
Object type	Galaxy
Constellation	Ursa Major
NGC / IC	NGC 3031
Apparent magnitude	6.9
Distance (approx.)	11,800 thousand light-years

What a galaxy is

A vast, gravitationally-bound system of stars, gas and dust — from small irregular collections to giant spirals containing a trillion suns. Most Messier galaxies are island universes far beyond the Milky Way.

Other Messier objects in Ursa Major: M40, M82, M97, M101, M108, M109.

Data: Messier catalogue & IAU constellations, via English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) · stored statically.