Brian Meyer’s caught this mystifying image of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51a) in Canes Venatici with his SVX152T. This galaxy is roughly 23 million light-years away from Earth and has a diameter of about 76,900 light-years in diameter. Radio images of the Whirlpool have clearly demonstrated that it and its companion galaxy (M51b) are interacting.
AstroBin: https://www.astrobin.com/rtawm2/
Details:
- RGB – 4h
- Lum – 9h15’
- Scope – Stellarvue SVX152T
- Imaging Cam - ZWO 2600MM Pro
- Filters – Optolong SHO 3nm | Antlia RGB
- Mount – Sky Watcher AZ-EQ6R
Other Designations: M51, M51a, Messier 51, NGC 5194.
References:
Wikipedia contributors. (2024, June 11). Whirlpool Galaxy. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirlpool_Galaxy
Jones, T. (2023, August 4). The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51). AstroBackyard. https://astrobackyard.com/m51-whirlpool-galaxy/
Messier 51 (The Whirlpool Galaxy) - NASA Science. (n.d.). https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-51