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Astronomy Picture of the Day - M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
NASA ^
| 14 Jan, 2026
| Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Sleeman
Posted on 01/14/2026 12:21:03 PM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral galaxy. At only 30 million light years distant and fully 60 thousand light years across, M51, also known as NGC 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies on the sky. The featured deep image is a digital combination of images taken in different colors over 58 hours with a telescope from Lijiang, China. Anyone with a good pair of binoculars, however, can see this Whirlpool toward the constellation of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici). M51 is a spiral galaxy of type Sc and is the dominant member of a whole group of galaxies. Astronomers speculate that M51's spiral structure is primarily due to its gravitational interaction with the smaller galaxy just above it.
TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa
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To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail). For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
To: MtnClimber
2
posted on
01/14/2026 12:21:32 PM PST
by
MtnClimber
(For photos of scenerHow y, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
To: MtnClimber
3
posted on
01/14/2026 12:21:59 PM PST
by
MtnClimber
(For photos of scenerHow y, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list
🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔
4
posted on
01/14/2026 12:22:46 PM PST
by
MtnClimber
(For photos of scenerHow y, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
To: MtnClimber
Can anyone speculate why a dog is included in the source article hot links. Are they really smarter than us?
5
posted on
01/14/2026 12:24:17 PM PST
by
MtnClimber
(For photos of scenerHow y, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
To: MtnClimber
6
posted on
01/14/2026 12:28:02 PM PST
by
Diogenesis
(Si vis pacem, para bellum)
To: MtnClimber
Is that another galaxy behind it?
7
posted on
01/14/2026 12:41:34 PM PST
by
Omnivore-Dan
(have to )
To: Diogenesis
That last photo really shows the smaller galaxy interacting with M51. Nice photo.
8
posted on
01/14/2026 12:42:36 PM PST
by
MtnClimber
(For photos of scenerHow y, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
To: Omnivore-Dan
Yes, it is. Helps to read the whole thing. Duh.
9
posted on
01/14/2026 12:42:54 PM PST
by
Omnivore-Dan
(have to )
To: Omnivore-Dan
Is that another galaxy behind it? Yes
10
posted on
01/14/2026 12:44:32 PM PST
by
MtnClimber
(For photos of scenerHow y, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
To: Diogenesis
That’s nothing. You should see the Whirlpool Galaxy I got at Home Depot.
Stainless steel tub, stainless racks. Even has a third rack and a spot free rinse cycle. Quieter than a Norwegian in church and tighter than a Scotsman when the dinner bill comes.
Can your fancy bunch of stars do that?!? Nope, sure can’t.
To: MtnClimber
To: MtnClimber
Yes, I realize that when I read it. Who says there aren’t stupid questions?
To: Omnivore-Dan
There are not stupid questions.
14
posted on
01/14/2026 12:49:20 PM PST
by
MtnClimber
(For photos of scenerHow y, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
To: TheThirdRuffian
I know right? Looks nothing like the pics here...
15
posted on
01/14/2026 12:54:45 PM PST
by
Adder
(End fascism...defeat all Democrats.)
To: MtnClimber
It’s not the moving 1.3 million mph through space that gets me.
It’s the constant curving.
16
posted on
01/14/2026 1:00:27 PM PST
by
DannyTN
To: MtnClimber
17
posted on
01/14/2026 1:03:14 PM PST
by
No name given
( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
To: Diogenesis
18
posted on
01/14/2026 1:03:24 PM PST
by
No name given
( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
To: MtnClimber
Well in my case there certainly is. If I wasn’t being lazy I would have read the piece and answered my own question. I hate when I do that. I’m usually pretty careful.
To: MtnClimber
I wonder how many solar systems are contained within that and what life might be there.
20
posted on
01/14/2026 1:27:50 PM PST
by
SkyDancer
( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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