images

Spiral galaxy M81 seen in infrared

by

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Novapix

Reference

a-gax30-31053

Date

2006-09-09

Located in the northern constellation of Ursa Major (which also includes the Big Dipper), this galaxy is easily visible through binoculars or a small telescope. M81 is located at a distance of 12 million light-years. The infrared image was obtained by Spitzer's infrared array camera.