M108 Observation Details

M108 Daily Motion

M108 is circumpolar, never setting below the horizon and always visible in the night sky from your location. However, it will change its position significantly, moving 69 degrees over time. You can find the best times to observe M108, when it reaches its highest elevation, in the annual motion section.
M108 will be visible until August, 12, when it will move too close to the Sun. During this time, its proximity to the Sun will cause it to disappear from the night sky, making it unobservable for a while.

M108 Visibility Timetable on July 21

M108 Rise and Set Timetable

	Time	Elevation
M108 is always above the horizon
M108 transit	16:48	74°
Moon Set	18:42	65°
Sunset	20:54	47°
Civil sunset	21:27	43°
Astrosession begin	22:50	32°
M108 is always above the horizon
Moon Rise, 15.9% illuminated	02:31	10°
Astrosession end	04:27	6°
Civil sunrise	05:49	7°
Sunrise	06:22	8°

Track M108 Position Throughout the Night

← Mon, 21 July 2025 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M108 changing position in the night sky.

M108 - Surfboard Galaxy

The Surfboard Galaxy (M108) is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M108 is known for its edge-on orientation and bright central bar.

M108 spans about 100,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 45 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.0, making it visible with a small telescope.

Finder Chart for M108

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Object name	M108
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M108 coordinates	11.19194, 55.67411
Center coordinates	11.19194, 55.67411

M108 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M108

Time	00:46
Latitude	39.9625
Longitude	-83.0061
M108 elevation	18°
M108 Azimuth	31°

Here you can see the current position of the M108 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M108's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M108

Date	Tue, 22 July 2025
Twighlight start	22:48
Twighlight end	04:26
Twighlight duration	6h 38m
Rise	M108 is always up
Set	M108 is always up
Elevation at transit	74°
Transit time	16:44
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 11h 11m 30s", Dec: 55° 40' 26s
Magnitude	10
Constellation	Ursa Major

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M108, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the M108 is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.

Data Credits

The nebulae information on this page is sourced from the OpenNGC project, developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed data on the NGC catalog, which is a valuable resource for exploring deep-sky objects such as nebulae.

For more details or to contribute to OpenNGC, visit the official GitHub repository: OpenNGC on GitHub.

Observation Settings