Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  M 101  ·  NGC 5447  ·  NGC 5449  ·  NGC 5450  ·  NGC 5451  ·  NGC 5453  ·  NGC 5455  ·  NGC 5457  ·  NGC 5461  ·  NGC 5462  ·  NGC 5471  ·  PGC 2464645  ·  PGC 2468609  ·  PGC 2469762  ·  PGC 2816075  ·  PGC 49919  ·  Pinwheel galaxy
Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)  (Pre-supernova), DoubleStarPhotography
Powered byPixInsight

Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) (Pre-supernova)

Revision title: Brightness/Contrast adjusted version

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)  (Pre-supernova), DoubleStarPhotography
Powered byPixInsight

Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) (Pre-supernova)

Revision title: Brightness/Contrast adjusted version

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

The Pinwheel Galaxy is a face-on spiral galaxy 21 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major.

M101 appears symmetric in images that only reveal its central region, but is really quite asymmetrical as a result of interactions with smaller companion galaxies. The galaxy’s core is displaced from the centre, likely as a result of a collision in the recent past.

It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 and was communicated that year to Charles Messier, who verified its position for inclusion in the Messier Catalogue as one of its final entries.

Comments