A large face on spiral galaxy with distinctive arms filled with rusty-brown, dust lanes and pinkish-red star-forming regions. One spiral arm extends off to the right, at the end of this arm is another galaxy. It looks like a bright, yellow-white ball of stars.

Hubble Whirlpool Galaxy, Messier 51 (M51) and Companion

The Whirlpool Galaxy is a spiral galaxy located 31 million light-years away. Also known as M51, it highlights the attributes of a typical spiral galaxy, including graceful, curving arms, pink star-forming regions, and brilliant blue strands of star clusters.

Credits: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
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Image CreditNASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Size640x511px