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 The Whirlpool Galaxy, Prodromos
M51 The Whirlpool Galaxy
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M51 The Whirlpool Galaxy

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M51 The Whirlpool Galaxy, Prodromos
M51 The Whirlpool Galaxy
Powered byPixInsight

M51 The Whirlpool Galaxy

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Description

Discovered by Charles Messier in 1773, M51 is located 31 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici. It has an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and can be spotted with a small telescope most easily during May. The Whirlpool galaxy’s beautiful face-on view and closeness to Earth allow astronomers to study a classic spiral galaxy’s structure and star-forming processes. nasa.gov

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M51 The Whirlpool Galaxy, Prodromos