Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  IC 4263  ·  IC 4277  ·  IC 4278  ·  M 51  ·  NGC 5194  ·  NGC 5195  ·  PGC 2289565  ·  PGC 2292105  ·  PGC 2294282  ·  PGC 2297311  ·  Whirlpool Galaxy
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Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), DoubleStarPhotography
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Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), DoubleStarPhotography
Powered byPixInsight

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)

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Description

The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as M51, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus (NGC 5195). 

The Whirlpool Galaxy  lies in the constellation Canes Venatici, and was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy.  M51 lies about 31 million light-years away from Earth and is approximately 76,900 light-years in diameter.

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