Astr110 Photography Projects, Spring 2005

Galaxy M109, Timm Bloem

This image is the M109 Galaxy in Ursa Major which is NGC 3992. The galaxy is estimated to be 55 million light years distant in constellation of the Ursa Major, 40' SE of the star Gamma Ursae Majoris. It is said to be quite easily spotted with binoculars, although only as a hazy distant path.

The M109 Galaxy was discovered by Pierre Mechain on March 12, 1781 and was initially classified by Charles Messier as a 99. Later, William Herschel found this galaxy independently on April 12,1989 and registered it as a 9.8 with low surface brightness. For a another look at M109, please see below:

This wide-field image of Galaxy M109 was taken in Southern France with a SBIG-ST-8E / CFW camera on August 2, 2005.