Astrophotography by Torsten Mueller


M51/ARP85

SA(s)bc pec Galaxy
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Object Information

Description wikipedia: "The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a, M51a, and NGC 5194, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus. It lies in the constellation Canes Venatici, and was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Its distance is estimated to be between 15 and 35 million light-years. The galaxy and its companion, NGC 5195, are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and the two galaxies may be seen with binoculars. The Whirlpool Galaxy has been extensively observed by professional astronomers, who study it to understand galaxy structure (particularly structure associated with the spiral arms) and galaxy interactions."
Type SA(s)bc pec Galaxy
Brightness 8.4 mag (vis)
Apparent Size 11.2' x 6.9'
Distance 23 Mly MLy

Exposure Information

Date 2015-05-01
Location Putzkau Observatory
Optics Skywatcher 10" f4.7 Newton
Camera Canon EOS 1000D
Integration 19 x 120 sec Color data
(0.63 h total)
Image remarks The exact date is not longer known, but somewhen in 2015