Surfboard Galaxy
RA 11h 09m · Dec +55° 46′
5′

An elongated, irregular edge-on galaxy with patchy clumps of dust and star formation along its disc. Often framed with the Owl Nebula M97 in the same field — an unusual and striking combination of object types.

Galaxy

Surfboard Galaxy

M 108 · Ursa Major
These photons are ~46 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
Date
18/03/2026
Location
53.5481° N, 1.4616° W
Integration
3m (19 × 10s)
Software
ZWO Seestar app
Notes
·
Total effort
15m over 1 night
Moon
🌑New Moon, 0% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA
11h 09m 07.6s
Centre Dec
+55° 46′ 24″
Field
42.8′ × 76.0′
Pixel scale
1.19″/px
Orientation
87.7° E of N
Hemisphere
Northern
Also in this frame
M108

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
+55°30′+55°40′+55°50′+56°11h05m11h05m11h06m11h07m11h07m11h08m11h09m11h09m11h10m11h11m11h11m11h12m11h13m11h13mM 108NE42.8′ 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 09 07.6 +55 46 24. 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 · Barnsley, UK
53.5481° N, 1.4616° W · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is M 108?
M 108 is a galaxy.
Which constellation is M 108 in?
M 108 lies in the constellation Ursa Major.
How far away is M 108?
The light in this image left M 108 roughly ~46 million years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.
What are the coordinates of M 108?
M 108 sits at right ascension 11h 09m 08s and declination +55° 46′ 24″ (J2000).
When is the best time to photograph M 108?
M 108 is circumpolar from around 54°N - it never sets, and rides highest (about 88° altitude) on evenings around March.
What equipment was used to photograph M 108?
This image of M 108 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.
How much exposure time went into this image?
This image of M 108 represents 3m (19 × 10s) + 3m (19 x 10s) of total integration time.

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