Surfboard Galaxy (M108)
Also known as M108 · M 108 · Surfboard Galaxy · NGC 3556
Surfboard Galaxy (M108) is a galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major, about 32.62 million light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Galaxy (shape SA) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Position (J2000) | 11h 11m 30s, +55° 40′ |
| Distance | 32.62 million light-years (its light set off about 32.62 million years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 10.05 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 14.6′ × 3.9′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Filter | No filter (It shines in starlight of every colour, so a nebula filter would only dim it; a dark sky helps more.) |
| Studied in | 508 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Surfboard Galaxy (M108) is highest in the sky at midnight in March. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 54° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 84°. To see it you need a small telescope.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Ursa Major
- Bode's Galaxy (M81)
- Cigar Galaxy (M82)
- M109 (NGC 3992)
- Markarian 421
- Owl Nebula (M97)
- Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)
- Twin Quasar
- Winnecke 4 (M40)
Everything in Ursa Major · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits