Sunday, February 24, 2013

Whirlpool Galaxy - spectacular portrait!

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Whirlpool Galaxy portrait NASA APOD
The breath-taking portrait of Whirlpool Galaxy M51 published February 24, 2013 in APOD is a digital combination of images taken from Hubble space telescope and from the 0.9 meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, Arizona.
"For the amateur, M51 is easy and a showpiece if the sky is dark, but is quite sensitive for light pollution which easily makes it fade in the background. Under very good conditions, even suggestions of its spiral arms can be glanced with telescopes starting from 4-inch. Low magnification is best for viewing this pair."
Messier Object 51




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