Physics Photo of the Week

Physics Photo of the Week March 31, 2023 M81 Bode's Galaxy - Astrophoto by D. Collins (College View Observatory) Bode's Galaxy (Messier 81) can be found near the bowl of the Big Dipper asterism.  Johann Bode, an early German astronomer in 1774 discovered it - hence its name.  The Messier 81 designation was given by a contemporary French astronomer (Charles Messier) who cataloged about 100 deep sky objects that appeared as faint extended objects in early telescopes.  This photo was taken in early March of 2023. Charles Messier was a comet hunter.  Astronomers were more interested in tracking comets because they were known to be Solar System objects that moved from night to night among the stars.  In scanning the skies he needed a quick reference of the faint fuzzy objects to avoid studying - they didn't move - and he didn't want to waste time on these nebulae.  Astronomers over 200 years ago had no idea that these nebulae consisted of that resembled sprial shaped clouds