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M 51, THE WHIRLPOOL GALAXY on 2023-12-28+29 + 2024-01-06+10

This photo was taken in my backyard in Kyle, Texas through a 6-inch Sky-Watcher f/4 Telescope, on a Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount, with a ZWO ASI533MC PRO color camera. The total image acquisition time is: 3 hours 59 minutes 0 seconds

The Whirlpool Galaxy is also known as Messier 51 (M51), or NGC 5194. It 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. It is approximately 25 million light-years away. It's smaller companion is NGC 5195, comprising the bright top end of the galaxy in this photo. The designation M51 is often used to refer to the pair of galaxies, in which case the individual galaxies may be referred to as M51a (NGC 5194) and M51b (NGC 5195). In my photo a very tiny edge-on galixy can bee seen at the top end of the M51 galixy pair and slightly to the left. Another small edge-on galixy, NGC 5169 is located near the bottom of the photo.

Previous Photos

M51 on 2008-01-09

Photographed with my 17.5 inch scope and SBIG ST-9E CCD camera.

M51 on 2004-12-11

OBJECT = M51
TELESCOPE = 17.5 inch f3.23
CAMERA = ST7-E 
OBSERVER = Rusty Fletcher 
LOCATION = Seguin Outdoor Learning Center 
DATE (Yr-Mo-Dy) = 2004-12-11
TIME (UT) = 11:21:03
TOTAL EXPOSURE = 1150 sec
IMAGES STACKED = 23