Whirlpool Galaxy
M51 · NGC 5194
The classic grand-design spiral, caught mid-interaction with a smaller companion that sharpens its arms.
Whirlpool is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici about 23 million ly from Earth. It spans roughly 76,000 ly, about 76% of our Milky Way's width. The light reaching us tonight left it about 23 million years ago.
Spiral
type · SABb
23 million ly
from Earth · measured
76k ly
across
8.4
apparent magnitude
Because its light is 23 million ly from home, you are seeing Whirlpool as it looked roughly 23 million years ago. The photons left before that much of history had passed, and are only now reaching us.
Nearest galaxies
PinwheelSpiral3.9 million ly
apartSunflowerSpiral4.7 million ly
apartMessier 106Spiral4.9 million ly
apartBlack EyeSpiral11 million ly
apartBode'sSpiral15 million ly
apartCigarStarburst15 million ly
apart
Worlds in the same direction on the sky→apartSunflowerSpiral4.7 million ly
apartMessier 106Spiral4.9 million ly
apartBlack EyeSpiral11 million ly
apartBode'sSpiral15 million ly
apartCigarStarburst15 million ly
apart
Source: structural data (position, morphology, brightness, redshift) from OpenNGC (CC BY-SA). Distance from published measurements.