ESA Science News
http://www.esa.int/science/

2 July 2003

Postcard from space
The spiral galaxy M81 in Ursa Major
[http://www.esa.int/export/esaSC/SEMJ..._index_0.html]

Using ESA's space-borne telescopes, such as XMM-Newton, astronomers can better
study wonders like this in the depths of space.

M81 is the first of the four objects originally discovered by Johann Elert Bode,
who found it, together with its neighbour M82, on 31 December, 1774. This image
of M81 was obtained by the Optical Monitor (OM) on XMM-Newton in April 2001. The
image is formed from three exposures taken with different ultraviolet filters.
The M81 galaxy is at least 22,000 light-years across.

Related articles

* XMM-Newton factsheet
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM14YS1VED_index_0.html
* Hubble factsheet
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMB5E1A6BD_index_0.html

Related links

* Seeing the Universe in X-ray wavelengths
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMTA2T1VED_index_0.html
* Seeing the Universe in ultraviolet
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM292T1VED_index_0.html
* Seeing the Universe in visible wavelengths
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM4B2T1VED_index_0.html