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Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня M51: космический водоворот http://variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1177746/eng |
Credit & Copyright: Tony and Daphne Hallas
Explanation:
Follow the handle of
the
Big Dipper away from
the dipper's bowl,
until you get to
the handle's last
bright star.
Then, just slide your telescope a little
south and west and
you'll likely find
this
stunning pair of interacting galaxies,
the 51st entry
in Charles Messier's famous catalog.
Perhaps the
original
spiral nebula, the large galaxy with
well defined spiral structure is also cataloged as NGC 5194.
Its spiral arms and dust lanes clearly sweep in front of
its companion galaxy (left),
NGC
5195.
The pair are
about 37 million light-years distant and
officially lie within the boundaries of the small constellation
Canes Venatici.
While M51
is visible as a faint, fuzzy patch in binoculars,
this sharp
color picture
was made with a 14 inch telescope
and combines digital camera exposures totaling 3 hours and 42 minutes.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.