Galaxy M 109

M 109, also known as the Vacuum Cleaner Galaxy, is a galaxy in Ursa Major. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain on March 12, 1781. Shortly after (in 1783), Charles Messier included it in his catalog as the 109th object. The galaxy can be found near the star γ Ursae Majoris, and its central region can be seen with small telescopes. Morphologically, it is classified as a barred spiral galaxy. The galaxy has three known satellites: UGC 6923, UGC 6940, and UGC 6969. M109 (NGC 3992) belongs to the NGC 3992 galaxy group. This group comprises 74 galaxies located in the constellation Ursa Major. M109 is the brightest object in this group, with an apparent magnitude of 10.6m. In March 1956, a supernova explosion was observed in M109, which reached a peak magnitude of 12.3 after initially appearing at magnitude 12.8.

Total integration: 47 minutes