M51
Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici
NGC 5194 & 5195
Mag 8.4
The
Whirlpool Galaxy
29/03/13
Fantastic! Real hint of shape to both galaxies
18/04/13
Very clear, spiral just visible
in 12mm
NGC
5195, M51B very clear
06/07/13
Rather
hazy and washed out
20/06/14
No real shape to the two Galaxies tonight but the sky is still
not dark at midnight one day short of the longest day
25/06/14
Distinct shape and a real feel that the two are interacting,
with NGC5195 only a little less bright and only a little
smaller
Between them and HIP 66004 at mag 7.05 is a nice but very
faint triangle with the faintest star clearly visible at Mag
11.9
01/07/14
Clear bright cores to both Galaxies with a real feel of the
shape of the arms
Obvious that the two are interacting!
12/05/15
Truly amazing in 12mm where the spiral shape of NGC 5194 is
really clear and it's companion NGC 5195 is so obviously
interacting with it
Actually in a neat 12mm FOV with two asterisms close by
There seems to be a haze enveloping both Galaxies, are these
the stars that have been ejected during the interaction?
A great sight and one of the gems of the deep sky
05/07/15
Very hazy and not a dark sky so M51 just a double haze with no
feel of shape in 12mm
14/03/16
I thought that although the Moon is a bright first quarter
tonight M51 on the opposite side of the sky would be good to
observe, wrong!
Just a faint smudge which really shows how much the Moon
washes out the sky