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Hubble ACS Visible Image of M51

Hubble ACS Visible Image of M51

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    13h 29m 55.73s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    47° 13' 53.43"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Canes Venatici
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    About 31 million light-years (9.6 million parsecs)
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    This image is 3 arcminutes (20,000 light-years or 6,000 parsecs) wide.

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    The Hubble image was created from HST data from proposal 10452 : S. Beckwith (STScI), R. Kennicutt Jr. (University of Arizona), and H. Bond, C. Christian, L. Frattare, F. Hamilton, Z. Levay, M. Mutchler, K. Noll, and T. Royle (The Hubble Heritage Team, STScI).

    Note: High-level science products (combined and mosaiced fits files for each filter) are available at: http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/m51/

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>ACS/WFC
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    January 18-22, 2005, Exposure Time: 9 hours
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F435W (B), F555W (V), F658N (Halpha + [N II]), F814W (I)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    M51, Whirlpool Galaxy
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Face-on Spiral Galaxy
  • Release Date
    January 13, 2011
  • Science Release
    The Two-faced Whirlpool Galaxy
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Downloads

  • 2685 × 3617
    jpg (12.88 MB)
  • 2685 × 3617
    tif (22.6 MB)
  • 742 × 1000
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  • 200 × 200
    jpg (15.41 KB)
  • 297 × 400
    jpg (36.76 KB)
  • 950 × 1280
    jpg (1.78 MB)
Hubble ACS Visible Image of M51
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

This image is a composite of many separate exposures made by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F435W (B)Green: F555W (V)Red: F658N (Halpha + [N II]) + F814W (I)

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

The Two-faced Whirlpool Galaxy

The Two-faced Whirlpool Galaxy

These images by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope show off two dramatically different face-on views of the spiral galaxy M51, dubbed the Whirlpool Galaxy. The image at left, taken in visible light, highlights the attributes of a typical spiral galaxy, including graceful, curving...

Hubble NICMOS Infrared Image of M51

Hubble NICMOS Infrared Image of M51

Compass and Scale Image of M51 with NICMOS in Infrared

Compass and Scale Image of M51 with NICMOS in Infrared

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Details

Last Updated
Feb 17, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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