673585main_image_2387_full. NASA Earth Observatory : Home. Fairypillar_hst_2400.jpg (2400×3000) NASA Earth Observatory : Home. GRIN. MODIS Website. The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Red dwarfs increase star total threefold. Visible Earth: Home. ESA/Hubble. Out of this whirl: The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and companion galaxy.
The graceful, winding arms of the majestic spiral galaxy M51 (NGC 5194) appear like a grand spiral staircase sweeping through space. They are actually long lanes of stars and gas laced with dust. This sharpest-ever image, taken in January 2005 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, illustrates a spiral galaxy's grand design, from its curving spiral arms, where young stars reside, to its yellowish central core, a home of older stars.
The galaxy is nicknamed the Whirlpool because of its swirling structure. The Whirlpool's most striking feature is its two curving arms, a hallmark of so-called grand-design spiral galaxies. Many spiral galaxies possess numerous, loosely shaped arms that make their spiral structure less pronounced. These arms serve an important purpose in spiral galaxies. As NGC 5195 drifts by, its gravitational muscle pumps up waves within the Whirlpool's pancake-shaped disk. The Whirlpool is one of astronomy's galactic darlings. The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Search All Astronaut Photography of Earth - Clickable Map. APOD Index. MODIS Website. DELANTE - ¡Caramba! A Galaxy, Edgewise Vértigo: Too Close to a Black Hole. Celestial o Divino: La delgada línea azul - Thin Blue Line. Looking Down on a Shooting Star. 477859main_KeplerSinglePanelStill.jpg (JPEG Imagen, 2961x2221 pixels) - Escalado (27%) All available sizes | Lunar Prospector.
346593main_moonimg_03_full.jpg (JPEG Imagen, 1536x1229 pixels) - Escalado (48%) Hubble's greatest hits: Hubble space telescope images. Eclipse by Miimochi.