The Pinwheel Galaxy

Date
2022.03.09
Catalog
Messier 101
Filters
R, clear, B, Halpha
Taken by
Florian

  • The Pinwheel Galaxy is a face-on spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major, about 21 million light-years away. It is a grand design spiral galaxy, characterized by its sweeping arms of stars, gas, and dust, which are thought to be caused by gravitational interaction with its companion galaxies. M101 has about a trillion stars and a high population of star-forming regions.

Additional information

R[clear]B (+ Halpha boost in red) composite of the Pinwheel Galaxy. Exposure time of roughly 4 hours.