Galaxy M51: Whirlpool Galaxy | |||
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M(essier) 51 is a (relatively) nearby spiral galaxy lying in the constellation Canes Venatici and close to the border of Ursa Major. Lying approximately 30 million light years away, M51 is actually two galaxies that have (relatively) recently collided, with a tail of gas and dust stretched between the two by their mutual graviational interaction. | |||
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| Optics: | 8-inch Ritchey-Chretien telescope | ||
| Camera: | QHY268M CMOS camera | ||
| Exposure info: | RGB 10 x 300 sec per filter / 38 x 300 sec Luminance | ||
| Filters used: | Astronomik LRGB and Optolong L-Pro light pollution filter | ||
| Date: | May 2022 | ||
| Processing: | Pixinsight-->Photoshop-->Topaz deNoise AI-->Lightroom; re-processed January 2024 | ||
| June 2026: added Halpha data | |||
REFERENCES
1. Finlay, WH. Concise Catalog of Deep-Sky Objects, Springer.