Captured this galaxy the other night hoping to get about 6+ hours of exposure time, but was stopped short due to lousy atmospheric conditions developing around midnight. I will add more data to this image during early spring when conditions permit. This image was only 93 one minute exposures combined into the image seen here. Total exposure time was only 1.55 hours.
This is M51 Galaxy, seen interacting with a smaller companion, NGC 5195 (Messier 51b), a dwarf galaxy connected to its larger neighbor by a tidal bridge of dust. The bridge is visible in images of the pair silhouetted against the central region of the smaller galaxy. Distance to earth are estimated between 23 and 31 million light years away.
M51 being about 30 million light-years from Earth has a magnitude or brightness of just 8.4, meaning it definitely won't be visible to the unaided eye.
Constellation: Canes Venatici
Right ascension: 13h 29m 52.7s
Declination: +47°11’43”
Distance: 23-31 million light years
Number of stars: 100 billion
Galaxy diameter 76,900 light-years
Apparent magnitude: +8.4
93x1mn