Surfboard Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, 30 million light-years away
Surfboard Galaxy (M108, NGC 3556, Herschel 400 no. 166, PGC 034030, UGC 06225) is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major , 30 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 10.1 and spans 8.7′ × 2.2′ of sky, about 75,400 light-years across. It is best in a small telescope, 4 to 6 inches, and it is highest in the evening sky in April.
Galaxy: a system of billions of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity, far outside the Milky Way. Spiral galaxies have a disk with arms; elliptical galaxies are smooth, round or oval swarms of older stars.
Finding Surfboard Galaxy from Merak
Merak
M108
URSA MAJOR
Surfboard Galaxy lies 1.5° southeast of Merak , the magnitude 2.3 star. That is within one binocular field.
Surfboard Galaxy is highest in the evening in April
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 69° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 83° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 79° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 50° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 38° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 35° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 50° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 65° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 82° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 44° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 16° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 17° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 44° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 59° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 73° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 70° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 22° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 11° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 15° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 52° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 61° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 46° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -2° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 6° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 43° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 54° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 51° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -8° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -14° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -12° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -3° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 4° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 35° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 44° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 14° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -24° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -22° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -12° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 21° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 6° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -34° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -21° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -13° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 24° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 12° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -3° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -35° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -44° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -41° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -30° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -21° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -5° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 7° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 14° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 12° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 3° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -11° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -28° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -44° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -54° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -51° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -38° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -13° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 3° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -19° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -36° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -53° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -64° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -60° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -46° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -36° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -12° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -15° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -27° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -43° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -60° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -73° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -69° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -53° high at 9 pm
below horizon
low
20-40°
40-60°
overhead-ish
The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole northern hemisphere and south to about 34°S, and never sets north of 34°N.
Surfboard Galaxy is 30 million light-years away
The light seen from Surfboard Galaxy tonight left it about 30 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. It ranks 83 of 109 by distance among the 110 Messier objects. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of Surfboard Galaxy
M97 Owl Nebula, planetary nebula, 48′ NGC 3619, galaxy, 2.3° NGC 3613, galaxy, 2.5° NGC 3631, galaxy, 2.9° NGC 3610, galaxy, 3.2° NGC 3729, galaxy, 4.1° NGC 3310, galaxy, 5.2° NGC 3898, galaxy, 5.3°
Surfboard Galaxy catalog data
Field Value
Designations M108, NGC 3556, Herschel 400 no. 166, PGC 034030, UGC 06225 Type barred spiral galaxy Constellation Ursa Major Right ascension (J2000) 11h 11.5m Declination (J2000) +55° 40′ Magnitude 10.1 Surface brightness 21.7 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 8.7′ × 2.2′ True size 75,400 light-years Distance 30 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Best month April Best with Small telescope Messier marathon order 37 Herschel 400 number 166
