Back to Articles Image Of The Day

M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy

📖 3 min read 📊 beginner 🏷️ NASA APOD

In Brief

The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral galaxy. At only 30 million light years distant and fully 60 thousand light years across, M51, also known as NGC 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies on the sky. The featured deep image is a digital combination of images taken in differ...

M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Full Story

The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral galaxy. At only 30 million light years distant and fully 60 thousand light years across, M51, also known as NGC 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies on the sky. The featured deep image is a digital combination of images taken in different colors over 58 hours with a telescope from Lijiang, China. Anyone with a good pair of binoculars, however, can see this Whirlpool toward the constellation of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici). M51...

Key Takeaways

  • 1 Important astronomical discovery
  • 2 Advances our understanding
  • 3 Future research potential
Hubble Space Telescope Deep Field Poster

Hubble Space Telescope Deep Field Poster

Stunning poster featuring iconic Hubble Space Telescope imagery. Perfect for space enthusiasts.

Check Price on Amazon
*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

How We Know This

Scientific observation and analysis

What This Means

Contributes to our knowledge of the universe

Why It Matters

Important advance in astronomy

Related Topics

#astronomy #discovery