The Whirlpool Galaxy
β¨ The Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51 or M51) is a grand spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is about 23 million light-years from the Earth, the only planet in space that we have managed to colonize so far. #thereisaplanetB M51 was one of the first celestial objects to be identified as a spiral galaxy. Its name comes from the π«π· French astronomer Charles Messier, who first catalogued it in 1773.
π Known for its beautifully structured spiral arms, M51 is actually a pair of galaxies dancing together in space: the larger spiral galaxy (NGC 5194) and a smaller companion galaxy (NGC 5195) that appears to be passing through the main spiral. π― Their intriguing dance gives us Earthlings insights into the interactions and evolution of galaxies, although their dance has pulled and distorted the smaller galaxy and fueled the formation of new #stars in the larger galaxy.
π We #stargazers should look for the constellation Canes Venatici in the night sky, which is most visible in spring and early summer in the northern hemisphere. As this galaxy is faint, we need a reflecting telescope with at least 8 inch aperture (SC, MC, DK or a Newton mirror) under dark skies to observe it well and reveal the spiral structure, especially the bridge between the two galaxies. My astronomy club in Germany uses their 30" dobson telescope, once the largest portable telescope in Europe, for such tasks.
π· Although M51 appears visually as a faint, fuzzy object, the subtle details of its spiral arms can only be appreciated with long exposure #astrophotography. To photograph it (see image below),
@xipteras
used his 5-inch Televue πΊπΈ NP127is refractor and a QSI-683 CCD camera in the luminance channel, due to the short observation window available that night.
π The light we see today from M51 left about 23 million years ago. On Earth, this was during the Miocene epoch, when many of the modern mammals, birds π¦ and fish had already appeared and the first apes had evolved.
βοΈ It was a time of major changes in global climate. The end of the Oligocene saw the formation of large ice caps in Antarctica, while the beginning of the Miocene was marked by a rise in global temperatures. This period was generally warmer and wetter than today, with widespread forests, the emergence of kelp forests and the expansion of grasslands.
