This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Hurricane Devon (talk | contribs) at 22:21, 2 September 2005 (Whirlpool Galaxy moved to Whirlpool (galaxy)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 22:21, 2 September 2005 by Hurricane Devon (talk | contribs) (Whirlpool Galaxy moved to Whirlpool (galaxy))(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Whirlpool Galaxy (also known as Spiral Galaxy M51, Messier Object 51, Messier 51, M51, or NGC 5194) is a classic spiral galaxy located in the Canes Venatici constellation. It was discovered by Charles Messier on October 13, 1773.
General information
The Whirpool Galaxy is one of the brightest, most compelling galaxies in the sky, visible with binoculars. The spiral galactic structure was first observed in this galaxy, which is the dominant member of the M51 group of galaxies.
Its companion galaxy, NGC 5195, was discovered in 1781 by Pierre Méchain. Sometimes M51 is used to refer to the pair of galaxies, in which case the individual galaxies may be referred to as M51A (5194) and M51B (5195).
The galaxy is less than 37 million light years away from Earth — some measurements put the distance at only 15 million.
In 2005 a supernova was observed in the Whirlpool Galaxy, peaking at apparent magnitude 14.