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The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a (M51a) or 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.
Discovered by Charles Messier in 1773, M51 is located 31 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici. It has an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and can be spotted with a small telescope most easily during May.
Jun 3, 2015 · Messier 51 (M51), better known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, is a famous grand-design spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. The Whirlpool Galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and lies at an approximate distance of 23 million light years from Earth.
The Whirlpool Galaxy is estimated to be about 400-million years old. It was observed and cataloged by famous astronomer Charles Messier in 1773 as Messier 51 (M51). It eventually earned the nickname “The Whirlpool” because it resembles a vortex in the water.
Jan 5, 2014 · The Whirlpool Galaxy is one of the brightest and most famous galaxies in the night sky, notable for its two striking spiral arms that make M51 a grand design galaxy. The spiral arms are really lanes of stars and starburst regions interspersed with dust.
Jul 24, 2017 · Located between 19 and 27 million light-years from the Milky Way, this deep sky object was the very first to be classified as a spiral galaxy. It is also one of the best known galaxies among...
The graceful, winding arms of the majestic spiral galaxy M51 (NGC 5194) appear like a grand spiral staircase sweeping through space. They are actually long lanes of stars and gas laced with dust.
Jun 26, 2019 · The Whirlpool galaxy, also known as Messier 51 and NGC 5194/5195, is actually a pair of galaxies that are tugging and distorting each other through their mutual gravitational attraction. Located approximately 23 million light-years away, it resides in the constellation Canes Venatici.
The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51 or M51, is a majestic spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is famous for its graceful, winding arms that resemble a grand spiral staircase sweeping through space.
Feb 27, 2017 · This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image provides a strikingly detailed view of the Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51 and as NGC 5194. The image illustrates a spiral galaxy's grand design, from its curving spiral arms, where young stars reside, to its yellowish central core, a home to older stars.
