🔭 M51 — Whirlpool Galaxy

Galaxy in Canes Venatici

M51, Whirlpool Galaxy is a galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici, with an apparent magnitude of about 8.4, roughly 23,000 thousand light-years away.

Data

Catalogue designation	M51
Common name	Whirlpool Galaxy
Object type	Galaxy
Constellation	Canes Venatici
NGC / IC	NGC 5194
Apparent magnitude	8.4
Distance (approx.)	23,000 thousand light-years

What a galaxy is

A vast, gravitationally-bound system of stars, gas and dust — from small irregular collections to giant spirals containing a trillion suns. Most Messier galaxies are island universes far beyond the Milky Way.

Other Messier objects in Canes Venatici: M3, M63, M94, M106.

Data: Messier catalogue & IAU constellations, via English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) · stored statically.