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Asteroids Clusters Comets Concepts Constellations Galaxies Moons Planets Nebulae Stars Surface
	Sections Asteroids Clusters Comets Concepts Constellations Galaxies Moons Nebulae Planets Stars Surface features Catalogues Star names Bayer stars Flamsteed stars Other stars Messier objects NGC objects IC objects Tools and Links Planet Wheel Planet Wheel App Latest updates Links and awards E-mail Whirlpool Galaxy Question Mark Galaxy, Rosse's Galaxy, M51, NGC 5194 Proper Names   Whirlpool Galaxy, Question Mark Galaxy, Rosse's Galaxy Messier Number   M51 NGC/IC Number   NGC 5194 Constellation   Canes Venatici Right Ascension   13h 30m 13s Declination   +47° 09' Distance   c.13,000,000 light years   c.4,000,000 parsecs Magnitude   Apparent: +8.9 Mean Diameter   Apparent: 8.44'   Actual: c.55,000 light years Hubble Type   Spiral class c Optimum Visibility   April/May Note: The Messier Number 'M51' is sometimes used to refer to both the Whirlpool Galaxy and its companion NGC 5195. In that case, the Whirlpool itself is identified as 'M51a'. A loose spiral galaxy in the constellation of Canes Venatici, about thirteen million light years from our own Milky Way Galaxy. Because the Whirlpool is aligned so that we see it 'face on', its spiral structure is very well defined. It is associated with a smaller attendant galaxy, NGC 5195. The Whirlpool Galaxy belongs to a drift of galaxies scattered across the constellations Ursa Major and Canes Venatici. It is far too faint to see with the naked eye, but not hard to find in the sky with a telescope - it lies a little to the south and west of Benetnash, the tail-star of Ursa Major. The Whirlpool Galaxy is not far from the Northern Galactic Pole in the sky, meaning that it is far 'above' the plane of our own Galaxy. The Whirlpool itself is much too far away to show on this diagram. Indexes Main Index Messier Objects Index NGC Objects Index Galaxies Index Related Entries Canes Venatici Galaxies eSky © copyright Mark Fisher 1999-2013