Whirlpool Galaxy: A Stunning View of M51

Get ready to be mesmerized by the Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as M51! Located in the constellations Canes Venatici and Ursa Major, this stunning spiral galaxy is approximately 27 million light-years away from Earth.

Discovered by Charles Messier in 1773, M51 is estimated to be around 400 million years old. What's truly remarkable about this galaxy is its estimated 100 billion stars, which shine brightly in the vast expanse of space.

The Whirlpool Galaxy gets its name from its distinctive whirlpool-like shape, which is the result of a gravitational interaction with a smaller companion galaxy. This interaction has triggered the formation of new stars and has given M51 its breathtaking appearance.

elescope: Celestron Nexstar Evo 9.25 235mm f/10 Schmidt Cassegrain

Camera: ZWO-ASI2600MCPRO

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ-6R Pro Computerized Equatorial Mount S303000

Guide Scope: ZWO 30F4Miniscope

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI462 MC Planetary Camera

Starizona Hyperstar 4HS4-C9.25 white 10014

Starizona Telrad Reflex Sight Finders

ZWO standard Electronic Automatic Focuser EAF-5V

ZWO ASIAir Pro Wifi Camera Controller

Optolong- L-Pro 2” multiband Pass Filter


Dew Heater Astrozap

Dew Shield - Celestron

Samsung Cellular Phone

Memory Card

The images were stacked in DeepSky Stacker, processed in Pixinsight and photoshop.