Whirlpool Galaxy
Whirlpool Galaxy
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Equipment used:
Telescope: Celestron C8 SCT with 0.63x reducer-corrector
Camera: ZWO 1600MM Pro with ZWO LRGB filters
Guiding equipment: ZWO 290MM on Celestron Guidescope
Mount: Skywatcher AZEQ6 GT
Total exposure time: 5 hours (2 hours L, 1 hour each RGB, 5 min each exposure)
Imaging site: Aylesbury, UK
M51 is a grand-design spiral galaxy, meaning it has two prominent, well-defined spiral arms. It is interacts gravitationally with a smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5195, which appears as a yellowish splurge at the end of one of its spiral arms. The spiral arms are rich in gas and dust, creating ideal conditions for new star formation. Young, bright blue stars are seen along the arms, while older, yellower stars are closer to the centre.
Key Features:
Distance: 23.5 ± 6.95 million light-years
Size: 76,900 light years.
Star Mass: 160 billion solar masses.
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