APOD: 2022 June 13 - M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy from Hubble

Good morning, Rallypoint, and welcome to the June 13th edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): "M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy from Hubble." Charles Messier discovered it on October 13, 1773 when observing a comet. He described it as a "very faint nebula, without stars" which is difficult to see. Its companion, M51B (NGC 5195), was discovered on March 21, 1781 by his friend Pierre Méchain, earning this comment in Messier's 1781 catalog: `It is double, each has a bright center, which are separated 4'35". The two "atmospheres" touch each other, the one is even fainter than the other.'

As technology improved, the spiral structure of M51 was first confirmed in 1845. The galaxy is approximately 31 million light years from Earth and lies in the constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs).