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M51 Nucleus in the Light of Hydrogen

M51 Nucleus in the Light of Hydrogen
A detailed view of the very center of the spiral galaxy M51 in the light of hydrogen. We see darker dust silhoueted against the light from stars and glowing gas.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    13h 29m 52.37s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    47° 11' 40.8"
  • 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 Megaparsecs)

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.
    This 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: 9.0 hours
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F658N (Halpha + [N II])
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Whirlpool Galaxy, M51, NGC 5194
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Spiral Galaxy, Galaxy Nucleus
  • Release Date
    April 25, 2005
  • Science Release
    Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Downloads

  • pdf (6.68 MB)
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    jpg (7.46 KB)
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  • 750 × 750
    jpg (94.78 KB)

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Details

Last Updated
Feb 17, 2025
Contact
Media

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