Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Messier 81

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 12, 2021 is “Messier 81,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Wissam Ayoub). The original explanation runs about 153 words.

Messier 81
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Wissam Ayoub Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“One of the brightest galaxies in planet Earth’s sky is similar in size to our Milky Way Galaxy: big, beautiful Messier 81 . Also known as NGC 3031 or Bode’s galaxy for its 18th century discoverer, this grand spiral can be found toward the northern constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear.”

— APOD editors, March 12, 2021

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
March 12, 2021
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Wissam Ayoub
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 153 words

All of March 2021 → · 2021 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Milky WayGalaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: March 12 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.