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M81 Group

M81-M82 Group, NGC 3031 Group

Group of Galaxies in
Ursa Major / Camelopardalis

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Designations	M81 Group, M81-M82 Group, NGC 3031 Group
Constellations	Primarily Ursa Major, extending into Camelopardalis
Right Ascension	Centred around 9h 55m 0s
Declination	Centred around +69° 6' 0"
Distance	c.11,700,000 light years c.3,600,000 parsecs
Dimensions	Apparent: c. 85° x 16° Actual: c. 21,800,000 x 3,300,000 light years
Members	Thirty-four galaxies, including M81 (Bode's Galaxy) and M82 (the Cigar Galaxy)
Optimum Visibility	March (Usually visible from northern latitudes)
Notes	This small galaxy group, centred around the spiral galaxy M81 and the irregular M82, is one of the closest such groups to the Milky Way's Local Group. The more massive galaxies within the group interact with one another, with threads and loops of material stretching between them.

The heart of the M81 Group. To the west (or right) of this image, the brighter galaxy is M81 itself (also known as Bode's Galaxy), and the slightly fainter galaxy to the north is M82 (the Cigar Galaxy). Southeastward from these two is the much fainter irregular NGC 3077, and in the far southeastern corner of the image, the ragged spiral of IC 2574, known as the Coddington Nebula, can be seen. These are just four of more than thirty galaxies that make up the M81 Group. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

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