M51, known as the Whirlpool Galaxy for obvious reasons, lies roughly 15 million light years away from the Milky Way. Its companion galaxy, NGC 5195, has interacted with M51, gravitationally pulling off some of its matter.

7 co-added exposures, 90 sec each
Enhancements: Brightness/Contrast, Maximum Entropy Deconvolution, Unsharp Mask

| Back to Gallery | Next Picture >>>

| Close Window |