Vacuum Cleaner Galaxy
RA 11h 58m · Dec +53° 08′
5′

A bright barred spiral with a strong bar and well-defined arms. Sits only 40 arcminutes from Phecda (γ UMa), which can cause bloom or diffraction issues in long exposures.

Galaxy

Vacuum Cleaner Galaxy

M 109 · Ursa Major
These photons are ~83.5 million years old
UV/IRUV/IR-cut. Blocks ultraviolet and infrared so refractor optics stay in focus across the visible band.ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →
⧉ 5 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log
↻ Revisited — built over 2 nights, the next night
  1. 1 21/03/2026 25m (148 × 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
  2. 2 22/03/2026 25m (148 x 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
21/03/2026 22/03/2026 The next night
Date
21/03/2026
Location
52.7618° N, 2.3775° W
Integration
25m (148 × 10s)
Software
ZWO Seestar app
Notes
·
Total effort
2h 5m over 2 nights
Moon
🌒Waxing crescent, 9% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA
11h 58m 10.6s
Centre Dec
+53° 07′ 46″
Field
42.8′ × 76.0′
Pixel scale
1.19″/px
Orientation
57.7° E of N
Hemisphere
Northern
Also in this frame
M109

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeZWO Seestar S50
CameraZWO Seestar S50 Camera
RigFamily Holiday Rig

Where to find it

Finder chart
+52°40′+52°50′+53°+53°10′+53°20′+53°30′+53°40′11h54m11h55m11h55m11h56m11h57m11h57m11h58m11h59m11h59m11h60m12h01m12h01m12h02m12h03mM 109NE42.8′ x 76.0′5′

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 11 58 10.6 +53 07 46. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Telford, UK
52.7618° N, 2.3775° W · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is M 109?
M 109 is a galaxy.
Which constellation is M 109 in?
M 109 lies in the constellation Ursa Major.
How far away is M 109?
The light in this image left M 109 roughly ~83.5 million years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.
What are the coordinates of M 109?
M 109 sits at right ascension 11h 58m 11s and declination +53° 07′ 46″ (J2000).
When is the best time to photograph M 109?
M 109 is circumpolar from around 53°N - it never sets, and rides highest (about 90° altitude) on evenings around March.
What equipment was used to photograph M 109?
This image of M 109 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.
How much exposure time went into this image?
This image of M 109 represents 25m (148 × 10s) + 25m (148 x 10s) of total integration time.

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