Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 18, 1995 is “M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy,” an image. It is credited to Credit: 1.1 Meter Hall Telescope, Lowell Observatory, Bill Keel (U. Alabama). The original explanation runs about 92 words.

M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
Credit: 1.1 Meter Hall Telescope, Lowell Observatory, Bill Keel (U. Alabama) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“The Whirlpool Galaxy is frequently given as an example of a galaxy with classic spiral design. At only 15 million light years distant, M 51, also cataloged as NGC 5194, is also one of the brighter and more picturesque galaxies on the sky.”

— APOD editors, December 18, 1995

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 18, 1995
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: 1.1 Meter Hall Telescope, Lowell Observatory, Bill Keel (U. Alabama)
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 92 words

All of December 1995 → · 1995 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 18 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.