Messier 51 (M51 & NGC 5194) – The Whirlpool Galaxy
March 28, 2022
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One of the most iconic galaxies in the night sky, M51’s beautiful spirals belie its ongoing battle with NGC 5195, the orange dwarf galaxy on the right. The two are locked in a terminal gravitational battle that is distorting M51’s spiral arms and generating a wave of new star formation.
Located not far from the handle of the Big Dipper from our vantage, M51 is about 25 to 30 million light years away. Some studies suggest that the dwarf galaxy may be passing behind M51, but it is certain that there is significant gravitational interaction going on.
Notably, in M51, the Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered the first exoplanet located outside our galaxy. The planet has the creative name M51-ULS-1b.
With two main spiral arms, the Whirlpool Galaxy is a prime example of a “grand design” spiral galaxy. The gravitational interaction with NGC 5195 may well be responsible for the appearance of such well-formed spiral arms:
Celestron 1100 EdgeHD
Telescope
Finder Chart
Click to expand
Total integration: 42h 39m
Integration per filter:
- Lum/Clear: 18h 33m (371 × 180")
- R: 6h 9m (123 × 180")
- G: 6h 9m (123 × 180")
- B: 6h 6m (122 × 180")
- Hα: 5h 42m (114 × 180")
Coordinates: 13h 29m 52s · +47° 12′ 51″
Image Capture
Location:
Back yard in North Dallas
Camera:
ZWO ASI6200MM-Pro
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