The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a or NGC 5194, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus. It lies in the constellation Canes Venatici, and was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. It is 31 million light-years away.
Object Designations: M51a, NGC 5194
Also known as: Whirlpool Galaxy
Constellation: Canes Venatici
Object Type: spiral galaxy
Distance: 23.5 million light-years away
Magnitude: 8.4
Discovery: Charles Messier
Telescope: Celestron 9.25″ SCT
Camera: ZWO ASI2600 MC Pro
Filter: Antlia – Triband RGB Ultra II Filter
Mount: Celestron CGEMII
Guiding: Celestron Starsense Auto-Guider
SharpCap Imaging Software
Processing Software
AstroSharp Ltd SharpCap
Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
Russell Croman Astrophotography BlurXTerminator
Russell Croman Astrophotography NoiseXTerminator
Russell Croman Astrophotography StarXTerminator
Stanley Dimant EZ Processing Suite
This final image is:
EAST Side:
10 – 300 second subs at 300 gain, Antlia – Triband RGB Ultra II Filter
White Bal (B) = 84
White Bal (R )= 87
Brightness = 24
Camera Temperature = -12.3
LastPlateSolveData=Plate solve result was RA=13:31:11.0,Dec=+47:02:17 with mount at RA=13:31:11.7,Dec=+47:02:39, FOV 0.620×0.414 degrees, up is 269.12 degrees East of North
West Side:
7 – 600 second subs at 300 gain, Antlia – Triband RGB Ultra II Filter
White Bal (B) = 18
White Bal (R )= 99
Brightness = 24
Camera Temperature = -12.3
LastPlateSolveData=Plate solve result was RA=13:31:02.2,Dec=+47:04:13 with mount at RA=13:30:58.9,Dec=+47:05:11, FOV 0.625×0.418 degrees, up is 88.91 degrees East of North
