Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  IC 4277  ·  IC 4278  ·  M 51  ·  NGC 5194  ·  NGC 5195  ·  Whirlpool Galaxy
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M51 Whirlpool Galaxy in Narrowband OSC, Kenneth Lim
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy in Narrowband OSC
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M51 Whirlpool Galaxy in Narrowband OSC

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M51 Whirlpool Galaxy in Narrowband OSC, Kenneth Lim
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy in Narrowband OSC
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M51 Whirlpool Galaxy in Narrowband OSC

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Description

The Whirlpool Galaxy has been observed by many Astronomers to understand the galaxy interaction between M51a and M51b. It is believed the spiral arms are the result of the close interaction of the galaxies.  M51b (NGC 5195) may have passed through the M51a (NGC 5194) two (2) times – about 500 million years ago and 50 million years ago. (Source = Wikipedia)

A black hole exists at the center of the 2 spiral arms and the center region is undergoing a period of star formation. Similarly, the spiral arms are also in high level of star formation. The Whirlpool Galaxy is about 88% the size of the Milky Way and 32 million light-years away from Earth. (Source = Wikipedia)

Kenneth Lim

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M51 Whirlpool Galaxy in Narrowband OSC, Kenneth Lim