M109: Spiral Galaxy (Ursa Major) RA: 11h 57.6m / DEC: +53° 22'.5 Instrument: 10-inch Starfinder |
There are quite a few bright galaxies to be collected near the bowl of the Big Dipper. M109 is one of them. This magnitude 9.8 barred spiral resides about 40' southeast of Phad, the bottom back star in the bowl of the dipper. The galaxy appears as a 7'.5x4'.5 oval at 129X in the 10-inch Starfinder. The central 2'x1' portion is noticeably brighter, with a stellar core embedded within an elongated core region. The position angle of this central core region is skewed slightly with respect to the surrounding nebulosity. 9.7 magnitude HD 103767 blazes near the western limit of the SB-type galaxy. A 13th magnitude star resides at the other end, with another nine field stars framing the view. |
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