🔭 M102 — Spindle Galaxy

Galaxy in Draco

M102, Spindle Galaxy is a galaxy in the constellation Draco, with an apparent magnitude of about 9.9, roughly 50,000 thousand light-years away.

Data

Catalogue designation	M102
Common name	Spindle Galaxy
Object type	Galaxy
Constellation	Draco
NGC / IC	NGC 5866
Apparent magnitude	9.9
Distance (approx.)	50,000 thousand light-years

What a galaxy is

A vast, gravitationally-bound system of stars, gas and dust — from small irregular collections to giant spirals containing a trillion suns. Most Messier galaxies are island universes far beyond the Milky Way.

Data: Messier catalogue & IAU constellations, via English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) · stored statically.