#Whirlpool Galaxy

[traverse-our-universe]

M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy

Nick Fritz on Instagram

[without-ado]

A Feast for the Eyes: Whirlpool Galaxy l ESAWebb NIR+MIRI

[the-maddest-robot]

This is M51, also known as the Whirlpool Galaxy it is a pair a galaxy currently interacting together. If you look at the two arms of the spiral, you will see that the one on the left is somewhat deformed (near the other galaxy) this is due to the gravitational interaction between the two galaxies. Those interaction are also the reason why the left galaxy (NGC 5195) is this irregular. Some of the models have proposed that both galaxies have passed through each other at some point in the past. In the future both galaxie will slowly fuse together, but this will take at least a few hundred million years. Multiple other interacting galaxies also exist, such as the butterfly galaxies or the antenna galaxies.

This photo was supposed to be a test of my new equatorial mount but the result was WAY BETTER than expected so here you go (the post-treatment of the photos is not the best ever but I had to work with a limited amount a data). I will probably post more photos this summer since I now have access to better skys and a better mount than in Munich (If the weather complies).

[eclipticcomet]

m51 (whirlpool galaxy) | 6/29/24 | 16 min

[boanerges20]

Whirlpool Galaxy [M51] Photo: Astro Roadie

[probablyasocialecologist]

With a hypnotic new image released on Tuesday (Aug. 29), the James Webb Space Telescope allows us to gaze within a spiral galaxy floating some 27 million light-years away from Earth. It's a vibrant snapshot representing a realm named M51 (also known as NGC 5194 or the Whirlpool galaxy) that brilliantly captures the rocky relationship this galaxy has with its nearby neighbor, a dwarf galaxy named NGC 5195. It is, in fact, partially because of this galactic interaction that M51 may have such an ornate pattern in the first place. "The gravitational influence of M51's smaller companion is thought to be partially responsible for the stately nature of the galaxy's prominent and distinct spiral arms," the European Space Agency said in a statement about the visual. And on the note of those stunning spiral arms, one intriguing fact about M51 is its winding structure dubs it a "grand-design" galaxy rather than just a standard spiral galaxy. 

[livingforstars]

In the Center of the Whirlpool - April 25th, 1996.

"In the center of M51, a spiral galaxy 23 million light-years away, astronomers have identified a dense region of young stars. The graceful swirling arcs of this galaxy's spiral arms have inspired its popular name, "The Whirlpool Galaxy". This Hubble Space Telescope image of its nucleus reveals the light from millions of stars, perhaps one tenth the age of the Sun, packed into the bright central region. This area is a mere 80 light-years across - the stars are so crowded here that the view from a hypothetical planet orbiting one of these distant suns would be of a continuously bright sky! The dark "Y" shape visible within this region is an indication that lanes of dust are present, partially blocking the intense starlight."

[shaythempronouns]

M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, and its companion galaxy NGC 5195. Located 23 million light years away in the Canis Venatici constellation, they are one of the most heavily studied pairs of interacting galaxies in the sky.

Captured at a focal length of 1600mm from around six hours of total exposure time at f/8 using an ASI533MM Pro camera and a Ritchey-Chretien telescope.

Exposure breakdown:

R/G/B filters: 12x300s exposures each

Luminance filter: 42x300s exposures

Edited in PixInsight and GIMP.

[pixelatedcosmosastro]

•The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)•

Distance: 31,000,000ly

Constellation: Canes Venatici

Equipment: Seestar S50

A face-on, grand design spiral galaxy interacting with a nearby dwarf Galaxy, the Whirlpool Galaxy is a favorite target visible year-round in the northern latitudes. Also just visible in the upper right of the image is the distant edge-on spiral galaxy IC4263, located approximately 131 billion light years from Earth. Probably my favorite galaxy. 💙

www.pixelatedcosmos.com

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Ic 1805 - The Heart Nebula

Photographer David Joyce - Space From My Backyard: Pictures I Took With A Telescope

M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy

The Cygnus Loop - A 4

M81 - Bode’s Galaxy

Ngc2244 - The Skull Nebula/Rosette Nebula

[cosmonautroger]

Whirlpool Galaxy

[quiltofstars]

The Whirlpool Galaxy, M51 // Rick Veregin

[the-maddest-robot]

II took another photo of M51 / the whirlpool galaxy, same camera and same processing of the data, but I used a different (bigger) telescope. Here, using a bigger telescope has two major effects, firstly the image is more ''zoomed in'' since the focal length is longer. Secondly, since the diameter is bigger the maximal (angular) resolution of the image can be increased. This increase in resolution is due to the way the waves of light are diffracted by the aperture of the optical instrument (in short bigger aperture = better resolution). This increase in resolution is one of the reasons professional telescopes have gigantic mirrors and/or use telescope arrays combined with interferometry to increase their maximal angular resolution.

[who-is-riley]

The whirlpool galaxy

[boanerges20]

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy. Photo: Giuseppe Donaitello.

[7hiefence]

M51 (MIRI image) von NASA's James Webb Space Telescope