Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  HD117815  ·  IC 4263  ·  IC 4277  ·  IC 4278  ·  M 51  ·  NGC 5169  ·  NGC 5194  ·  NGC 5195  ·  NGC 5198  ·  Whirlpool Galaxy
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Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), Don Alm
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Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)

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

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)

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Description

I am so excited that I was able to capture an image of this spiral galaxy located near the handle of the Big Dipper! This galaxy is located about 28 million light years from Earth.

This is the classic example of two galaxies merging with each other. The smaller galaxy (NGC 5195) is gravitationally interacting with the Whirlpool Galaxy by pulling on the spiral arm and causing new stars to form in the process. NGC 5195 is believed to be passing behind the Whirlpool Galaxy based on observations from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Total Integration Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes (206 frames)
Focal Length: 500mm
Exposure Length: 30 seconds
Aperture: f/6.3
ISO: 1600

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Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), Don Alm

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Galaxies