Messier 51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy

  • Distance: 23 Million Light Years

    Diameter: 60,000 Light Years

  • QHY268 C Dedicated Astro Cam

    Optolong L-Pro Filter

    Celestron Nexstar8SE Telescope

    Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro Mount

  • Taken between May 21, and May 22, 2022.

    70 x 180s (3 min) frames for a total of 3 1/2 hours total exposure time.

I love this dance! These galaxies are in a huge spiral dance as they merge. The Grand Design Spiral galaxy, larger, is full of new star birth. You can tell because of the blue hues within it. Those new, hot, bright stars are brought on by the gravitational interactions with the smaller yellow galaxy.

I love the dust lanes, especially the full one between the galaxies. If you look closely enough near the smaller galaxy, you’ll see bright pink nebulae in the dust lanes. These nebulae are the breeding grounds for even more stars!

Also, in this photo, there is a small galaxy just below the smaller one. It looks like a sharp needle. This is IC 4277, a galaxy some estimates put at over 700 MILLION light years distant. It may be the farthest object I’ve [knowingly] photographed! If you have differing information, I’d love to hear from you! Use the “Contact” link in the header to let me know!!!