Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  IC 4263  ·  IC 4277  ·  M 51  ·  NGC 5194  ·  NGC 5195  ·  Whirlpool Galaxy
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M51 - The gem of Canes Venatici, Ali Alobaidly
M51 - The gem of Canes Venatici
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M51 - The gem of Canes Venatici

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M51 - The gem of Canes Venatici, Ali Alobaidly
M51 - The gem of Canes Venatici
Powered byPixInsight

M51 - The gem of Canes Venatici

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Description

The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51 (M51) or NGC 5194, is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is one of the most famous galaxies in the night sky due to its striking appearance and its interaction with a smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5195.M51 was discovered by the French astronomer Charles Messier on October 13, 1773. Messier initially described it as a "very faint nebula without stars." However, in 1845, the English astronomer Lord Rosse observed M51 with his newly constructed 72-inch telescope and was able to discern its spiral structure, making it one of the first galaxies recognized as having a spiral shape. Although a 72-Inch wide aperture sounds otherworldly to modern day amateur astronomers like myself, it is still possible, thankfully, to discern much of the structure of this majestic galaxy with a telescope as small as a 9.25 inch SCT.

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M51 - The gem of Canes Venatici, Ali Alobaidly