Messier 51 (M51) and its companion NGC 5195, forming one of the most iconic galaxy pairs in the night sky. 🌌 Overview Name: Whirlpool Galaxy Catalog: Messier 51 (M51), NGC 5194 Constellation: Canes Venatici Distance from Earth: ~23 million light-years Apparent Magnitude: ~8.4 Size: ~11 × 7 arcminutes Type: Interacting Spiral Galaxy (SA(s)bc pec) ✨ What We See This image captures the graceful spiral arms and intense interaction between: ...
Messier 106 (M106) and neighboring galaxies, including NGC 4217. Messier 106 (M106) Zoom In. 🌌 Messier 106 (M106) Catalog: Messier 106, NGC 4258 Type: Intermediate spiral galaxy (Sbp) Constellation: Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs) Distance: ~22–25 million light-years Apparent Magnitude: ~8.4 (visible with small telescopes) Angular Size: ~19 × 8 arcminutes Actual Diameter: ~135,000 light-years 🔬 Scientific Importance M106 is classified as a Seyfert II galaxy, known for: A supermassive black hole at its core Anomalous spiral arms visible in radio and X-ray — likely jets of energetic gas Hosting a water maser, used for highly precise cosmological distance measurements 🌠 NGC 4217 — The Edge-On Companion Type: Edge-on spiral galaxy Distance: ~60 million light-years Apparent Magnitude: ~11.7 Angular Size: ~5 × 1 arcminutes Orientation: Seen from the side, offering a textbook profile of a spiral galaxy’s disk ❗ Note: NGC 4217 is not physically associated with M106 — it lies in the background and only appears nearby due to line-of-sight coincidence. ...