Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  M 51  ·  NGC 5194  ·  NGC 5195  ·  Whirlpool galaxy
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, Prabhakar
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy
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M51 Whirlpool Galaxy

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Description

Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51a, M51a, or NGC 5194) is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Recently it was estimated to be 23 ± 4 million light-years from the Milky Way, but different methods yield distances between 15 and 35 million ly. Messier 51 is one of the best known galaxies in the sky. The galaxy and its companion (NGC 5195) are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and the two galaxies may even be seen with binoculars. The Whirlpool Galaxy is also a popular target for professional astronomers, who study it to further understand galaxy structure (particularly structure associated with the spiral arms) and galaxy interactions.

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Imaged at Harold campbell pua, South Florida

Lum - 1X1 Bin - 14x300 secs

RGB - 2X2 Bin - 2+2+2 x300 secs

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  • M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, Prabhakar
    Original
  • Final
    M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, Prabhakar
    B

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M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, Prabhakar