M51M51


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