Introduction and Monthly Reminders
Weather-wise, May has been a beautiful month. The temperatures have been pleasant and it's been nice seeing the trees and flowers come back after a long winter. My allergies don't like it, but I do! So far this month, we have experienced the Full and Last Quarter Moon phases, the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower, a close approach between the Moon and Saturn, and Mars being close to the star Pollux in Gemini.
For the remainder of the month, we can still look forward to the First Quarter and New Moon phases, as well as the Moon occulting Jupiter on the 17th. Of course, an observer can still view several of the Messier objects that have been discussed, including those from Ursa Major. Hopefully, the clouds will stay away so we can do some stargazing!
Messier Targets 🔭
Remember that Messier objects can be viewed throughout the year. To see which objects can be viewed during this time of year, please check out my Messier List file to aid in the hunt for these objects. Don't forget that there are tabs at the bottom of this spreadsheet to easily find objects according to Season, Constellation, Magnitude, and Classification.
This post will highlight the remaining Messier objects that can be found in Ursa Major. These objects include three spiral galaxies and a planetary nebula. The images below show the region of the sky that contains Ursa Major.
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| Ursa Major can be found high in the northern sky after sunset. |
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| Ursa Major with constellation lines. |
The first target is M97 (aka Owl Nebula, NGC 3587) a planetary nebula found under the belly of Ursa Major (under the dipper of the Big Dipper). This Messier object is roughly 2,030 light-years from the Sun. The Owl Nebula glows at a dim 9.88 magnitude and will require a pair of binoculars if viewed from a dark sky location or a large telescope if viewed from the city. See the image below for the location of M97.
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| Location of M97 in Ursa Major. |
Next up, is M108 (aka Surfboard Galaxy, NGC 3556) a spiral galaxy located about 28 million light-years from the Sun. The Surfboard Galaxy glows at a dim 10.69 magnitude, which means a pair of binoculars will be needed at a dark sky site or a large telescope from the city. After viewing the Owl Nebula, an observer should guide their binoculars or telescope slightly closer to the belly of Ursa Major to find M108. See the image below for the location of M108.
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| Location of M108 in Ursa Major. |
Following M108, an observer should guide their binoculars or telescope towards the rear leg of Ursa Major. Here, they can find M109 (aka NGC 3992) another spiral galaxy. This object is about the same magnitude as M108 and will require a pair of binoculars from a dark sky site or a telescope from urban skies. See the image below for the location of M109.
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| Location of M109 in Ursa Major. |
The final target in Ursa Major is M101 (aka Pinwheel Galaxy, NGC 5457) which is a spiral galaxy located about 21 million light-years from the Sun. The Pinwheel Galaxy shines at a magnitude of 7.84 which will require a pair of binoculars from a dark sky site or a small telescope from urban areas. Of course, a larger telescope will collect more light and show more detail. The Pinwheel Galaxy is located just above the tail (since bears have long tails) of Ursa Major (handle of the Big Dipper), between the two bright stars that make up this area of the constellation. See the image below for the location of M101.
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| Location of M101 in Ursa Major. |
This concludes the Messier objects that can be found in Ursa Major. Below you will find two images that show the location of these four objects as well as two more images that show the location of the seven Messier objects of Ursa Major.
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| Location of M97, M101, M108, and M109 in Ursa Major. |
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| Location of M97, M101, M108, and M109 in Ursa Major with constellation lines. |
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| Location of the seven Messier objects in Ursa Major. Recall that M81 and M82 can be seen in a single field of view. |
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| Location of the seven Messier objects in Ursa Major with constellation lines. Recall that M81 and M82 can be seen in a single field of view. |
June will highlight Virgo, the final constellation in my tour of the Messier Catalogue. Don't forget to view as many of these objects as possible during the coming weeks as the temperatures rise and the weather improves. The above images were provided by Stellarium, a free planetarium software that can be found online, downloaded, or installed as an app on your favorite mobile device. My updated Messier list can be found here.
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| Now get outside and look up! |
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