Whirlpool galaxy |
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Whirlpool Galaxy (M51A or NGC 5194). The smaller object in the upper right is M51B or NGC 5195. Credit: NASA/ESA |
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Constellation | Canes Venatici |
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Right ascension | 13h 29m 52.7s |
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Declination | +47° 11′ 43″ |
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Redshift | 463 ± 3 km/s |
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Distance | 23 ± 4 Mly (7.1 ± 1.2 Mpc) |
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Type | SA(s)bc pec |
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Apparent dimensions (V) | 11′.2 × 6′.9 |
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Apparent magnitude (V) | 8.4 |
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Notable features | Interacting with NGC 5195 |
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Question Mark Galaxy, Rosse's Galaxy,M51a,NGC 5194,UGC 8493,PGC 47404, VV 001a, VV 403,Arp 85,GC 3572 |
See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies |
The Whirlpool galaxy, is also known as Messier 51a, M51a, or NGC 5194. It is a large galaxy with well-defined spiral arms, with a smaller companion galaxy. They have been through a collision, and are still interacting.
The Whirlpool was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Different methods put its distance as between 15 to 35 million light-years. Recently it was estimated to be 23 ± 4 million light-years from the Milky Way. Messier 51 is one of the best known galaxies in the sky.