Fw: Astronomy Picture of the Day - Messier 101
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is
featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2025 May 16
Messier 101
Image Credit:
,
,
,
;
Acknowledgement -
K.Kuntz (),
F.Bresolin (),
J.Trauger (),
J.Mould (),
Y.-H.Chu ()
Explanation:
Big, beautiful spiral galaxy M101 is one of the last entries in
famous catalog, but definitely not
of the least.
About 170,000 light-years across, this galaxy is enormous, almost
twice the size of our own Milky Way.
M101 was also one of the original
observed by Lord Rosse's large 19th century telescope, the
of Parsontown.
Assembled from 51 exposures recorded by the
in the 20th and 21st
centuries, with additional data from ground based telescopes,
this mosaic spans about 40,000 light-years across the central region
of M101 in one of the highest definition
spiral galaxy portraits ever released from Hubble.
of the galaxy's face-on disk of stars and dust along with
background galaxies, some visible right through M101 itself.
Also known as the
lies within the boundaries of the northern constellation
, about 25 million light-years away.
Tomorrow's picture: (The) Martian landscape
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Authors & editors:
() &
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NASA Official: Amber Straughn
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A service of:
at
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&
Mary Live long and prosper
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