Messier 109

Messier 109 (M109) is a barred spiral galaxy in Ursa Major. From our vantage, it’s located close to the star Phecda, which is the bright lower-left star in the bowl of the Big Dipper.

Sources conflict on its distance with some saying 55 million light years and others saying 67 million light years, which would make it the most distant galaxy in the Messier Catalogue. It’s one of only four barred spiral galaxies included in that catalogue. The others are M58, M91, and M95.

Scientists have estimated its diameter at around 137,000 light years—about 40% larger in area than the Milky Way. But it ostensibly contains two-and-a-half times more stars at around a trillion.