Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  IC 4263  ·  M 51  ·  NGC 5194  ·  NGC 5195  ·  Whirlpool galaxy
The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51 in Canes Venatici), Michael Watson
The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51 in Canes Venatici)
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Description

Lying 23 million light years from our solar system, M51 has a diameter of 60 million light years, about 2/3 the diameter of our own Milky Way galaxy. It is a "face-on" spiral galaxy, whose spiral structure is delineated by clouds of dark obscuring gas in its arms.

For millions of years M51 has been gliding past - and it is gravitationally connected with - the smaller galaxy NGC 5195.

M51 is a telescopic favourite of amateur astronomers, and can been glimpsed in binoculars in good conditions from a dark sky location.

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The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51 in Canes Venatici), Michael Watson