Key Takeaways:
- M108 is a spiral galaxy nicknamed the "Surfboard Galaxy" due to its tilted appearance.
- It's relatively close to Earth, at 28.7 million light-years away.
- M108 is quite bright (magnitude 10.0) and displays loosely wound spiral arms.
- It has a high rate of supernovae, with recent events in 1969, 2016, and 2023.
The constellation Ursa Major, so famous for its brilliant asterism called the Big Dipper, holds numerous interesting deep-sky objects. One of the best galaxies in the constellation is M108, a highly inclined barred spiral that all observers should check out.
Because of its orientation to our line of sight, M108 is often referred to as the Surfboard Galaxy. It is inclined to us by about 75°, giving it the first impression of being close to edge-on in most telescopes. This fine galaxy lies at a distance of about 28.7 million light-years, making it moderately close, about half the distance to the Virgo Cluster.
M108 glows with a total magnitude of 10.0, spans 8.7’ by 2.2’, and has characteristically loosely wound spiral arms and a highly compact nucleus. Shells of gas inside the galaxy have created bursts of star formation and coincide with its high rate of supernovae, which have occurred in 1969, 2016, and 2023.
