Galaxy · Spiral
Whirlpool (M51)
Whirlpool (M51) is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 28.0 million light-years away. The classic "grand-design" spiral, interacting with its small companion NGC 5195.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 28.0 million light-years (8.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 75,000 light-years · 0.86 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.67 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 29m 52.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +47° 11′ 42″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.67); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 43° S. North of latitude 43° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 28 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 497.6 billion years.