Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  IC 4263  ·  IC 4278  ·  M 51  ·  NGC 5169  ·  NGC 5173  ·  NGC 5194  ·  NGC 5195  ·  NGC 5198  ·  NGC 5229  ·  Whirlpool galaxy
M51, Minos Kritikos
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M51

M51, Minos Kritikos
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M51

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Description

M51, the Whirpool Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy approximately 23 million light years away in the constellation Canes Venatici and is approximately 60,000 light years across, almost two-thirds the diameter of our own Milky Way. It consists of two interacting galactic nuclei – the bright central M51A & its dwarf companion M51B, which in billions of years from now, they will merge into a single entity as they swirl through an epic collision. A popular target for astronomers, it is usually framed close-up to reveal its intricate beauty, but this stacked and calibrated 4-hour widefield shot, reveals it as a hidden gem within a field of diamonds.

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M51, Minos Kritikos

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Galaxies