Tammy Plotner and Jeff Barber, Universe Today
Tonight is an excellent time to view the Bode's Galaxies, which are now high in the sky, in the northeastern part of the Big Dipper. First we will look at the star Pectada (Beta) and 2 Dibba-Alpha). Draw a line between this bright pair and extend the line to the northwest, beyond Alpha. These two galaxies are visible even in binoculars. Observe the pale star 24 Ursa Major and move a finger width distance southeast.
These galaxies were discovered in December 1774 by J.A. Buddha These two, galaxies beloved by deep space explorers, carry a secret between them. In a photograph taken in March 1899, the pair is centered on a group of galaxies surrounding the North Pole - the Big Dipper. In small or low-magnification telescopes, the two galaxies appear as "cat's eyes" that glow at night. Medium magnification reveals the spiral nature of the brighter, more southerly M81, while specks are visible in the irregular galaxy M82.
Focus on the M81 and move less uphill towards the southeast. You will see two stars of magnitude 8 forming a triangle together with a spiral galaxy facing us at magnitude 10 - NGC 3077. Harder to spot and larger but brighter is NGC 2976. The reason is the low brightness of its face and the absence of a luminous nucleus. To locate it, return to the M81 and turn about a mile and a half to the southwest. All four galaxies belong to the local group of M81 - a small galaxy cluster located about 12 million light years from us. M81 and M82 are bound together by a strong gravitational bond. Only a few million years ago the Xiamen met in a particularly difficult encounter - which particularly damaged the less massive of the two, M82. However, the heaviest of them is the unchanged Shiara with an unparalleled structure of a beautiful symmetrical spiral.
Project 365
Universe Today website
https://www.hayadan.org.il/BuildaGate4/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~~~453723119~~~261&SiteName=hayadan
