How Much Do You Know About The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)？

M51 the Whirlpool Galaxy is a very beautiful and mysterious galaxy, located in the constellation Canes Venatici, where you can see the Whirlpool Galaxy. It is named after its clear spiral arms of galaxies. In the Messier catalog, its number is 51, hence it is also known as M51.

The Whirlpool Galaxy has a mass approximately 160 billion times that of the Sun, a diameter of approximately 76900 light-years, and a galaxy core containing hot gas, dust, and many hot and young galaxy.It is approximately 31 million light years away from us.

The blue light in the spiral arm is the newly formed star, young and hot. The center emitting red light is an ancient star with a low temperature.

Due to the interaction between the Whirpool Galaxy and NGC 5195, various tidal features are generated. The largest of these features is the so-called northwest plume, which extends 140000 light-years outward from the center of the galaxy. The uniform color of this feather is likely due to the Whirpool Galaxy itself, as it contains dispersed gas. Adjacent to it are two other slightly blue plumes, known as the Western plume due to their location.

The Whirpool Galaxy and NGC 5195

For astronomers, if the sky is dark enough, M51 will be a beautiful target easy to observe, but it is quite sensitive to light pollution and easily submerged in the sky background.So choosing a good device to enjoy the beauty it brings is a very important thing.

The following equipment can observe it well.