The Whirlpool Galaxy
Depicts: M51, NGC 5194, The Whirlpool Galaxy, IRAS 13277+4727
Copyright: Nino Panagia (Space Telescope Science Institute and European Space Agency) and NASA
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The galaxy's massive center, the bright ball of light in the center of the photograph, is about 80 light-years across and has a brightness of about 100 million suns. Astronomers estimate that it is about 400 million years old and has a mass 40 million times larger than our Sun.
Last Update: 1 September 2019