Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Pavo (Pav)
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, Greg Allegretti
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy
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M51 Whirlpool Galaxy

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, Greg Allegretti
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy
Powered byPixInsight

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy

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Description

The Whirlpool is an Iconic spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici (the hunting dog constellation). At a distance of 23 million light years, M51 is a relatively close neighbor containing about 160 billion solar masses. The galaxy is a Sefert type with an active nucleus. The Whirlpool galaxy will eventually consume its smaller companion, (NGC 5195).

This image was captured under high desert skies near Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA with a telescope of 12" aperture at f/8 and an electrically-cooled CCD camera. Total exposure was three hours (LRGB).

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M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, Greg Allegretti