Monday, April 15, 2013

M51, Whirlpool Galaxy

One of my all time favorite objects to image, M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici.  At a distance of 37 million light years from Earth, M51 is one of the brightest and picturesque images in the sky.  I've posted this image before hoping to get a better image quality.  Lying near the big dipper, M51 is also very hard to see visually in smaller telescopes.  Even larger telescopes, the visual clarity is degraded unless you have really clear dark skies.
This is a 10 minute exposure from Lubbock, TX from my back yard.  Imaged in January 2013 with mild light pollution from the obnoxious Lubbock, TX lights.


No comments:

Post a Comment