| Name | Vacuum Cleaner Galaxy |
| Designation(s) | M109, NGC 3992 |
| Object Type(s) | Galaxy |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron), Messier, NGC |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 42° 17', 073° 57' |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Date and Time Observed | 2025-03-18 11:36:00 |
| Instrument | EdgeHD 8" w/f7 reducer-1,422mm FL |
| Camera | Player One Apollo-M Mini |
| Image Details | Up is 110.6 degrees E of N. Transparency: Good. Seeing: Good. Total integration time was 40m. Exposures 30s@300g, UV/IR Cut Filter. Darks subtracted, no flats. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap.. |
| Description | Messier added a position by hand to his personal copy of the catalog which was identified by Owen Gingerich in 1953 as that of H IV.61 = NGC 3992, which is now called M109. Messier thought he was confirming Méchain's discovery, but Méchain almost certainly saw NGC 3953, converting this to Messier's personal discovery (#43). <--> Latest observation was on a recent, better than average night. You'll find an earlier capture in the gallery from March of 2024 that was cut short by clouds and heavily processed. Both captures reveal a classic "theta" style barred spiral galaxy, though the more recent capture shows a lot more detail in the spiral arms due to the improved sensitivity of the mono camera and longer integration (40m not 12m). |
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