Thursday May 2, 2024

Whirlpool and Pinwheel Galaxies (all night)

On evenings during May, the Big Dipper is positioned nearly overhead in the northeastern sky. When the moon is out of the sky, two impressive galaxies
can be seen in binoculars and backyard telescopes, using the bright star
Alkaid at the tip of the dipper's handle to locate them. The Pinwheel
Galaxy, or Messier 101, is a spectacular face-on spiral galaxy positioned
5.5 degrees NNE of Alkaid, forming an equilateral triangle with Mizar, the double star at the bend of the handle. This relatively close galaxy (21
million light-years away) is nearly as large as the full moon in the sky.
Since the galaxy's light is spread over such a large area, its overall brightness is low. Aim your binoculars several degrees southwest of Alkaid
to discover the iconic Whirlpool Galaxy, aka Messier 51. This spiral
galaxy's angular size is smaller, but it will look somewhat brighter in your binoculars and telescope. A secondary galaxy core designated NGC5195 is
linked to Messier 51 by a stream of stars.
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* Origin: CJ's Place, Orange City FL > cjsplace.thruhere.net (954:895/61)