M51 Whirlpool Galaxy with Companion NGC 5195
Friday, February 27th, 2026 at 4:31:34 PM · 2026/Astrophotography
This astrophotography image captures the iconic Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) in the constellation Canes Venatici. The face-on spiral galaxy reveals its distinctive spiral structure with a bright core, while its companion galaxy NGC 5195 appears to the left, creating their famous interacting pair. The image shows subtle dust lanes and star-forming regions across the spiral arms against a field of distant stars. The photograph demonstrates the gravitational interaction between these two galaxies, which has distorted M51's spiral structure over millions of years.
Chronologically Adjacent
