Messier 51, the Whirlpool galaxy

Constellation: Canes Venatici

Messier 51, the Whirlpool galaxy, is a interacting grand-design spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. The main galaxy is NGC 5194, while its interacting companion is the dwarf galaxy NGC 5195. Its distance from Earth is about 31 million Ly. Link to interactive sky chart.

Messier 51 is part of a galaxy group that includes Messier 63 (the Sunflower galaxy), as well as NGC 5023 and NGC 5229.

Telescope & Mount:

Orion Optics UK ODK10 on a GM1000HPS mount

Imaging:

Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro (bin 2×2)

Data:

L: 126x240s
Hα: 37x300s
R: 55x240s
G: 90x240s
B: 65x240s

Total integration time: 25h 29′