Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

M51: Cosmic Whirlpool

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for July 10, 2002 is “M51: Cosmic Whirlpool,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: Tony and Daphne Hallas). The original explanation runs about 142 words.

M51: Cosmic Whirlpool
Credit & Copyright: Tony and Daphne Hallas Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Follow the handle of the Big Dipper away from the dipper’s bowl, until you get to the handle’s last bright star . Then, just slide your telescope a little south and west and you’ll likely find this stunning pair of interacting galaxies, the 51st entry in Charles Messier’s famous catalog.”

— APOD editors, July 10, 2002

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
July 10, 2002
Type
Image
Credit
Credit & Copyright: Tony and Daphne Hallas
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 142 words

All of July 2002 → · 2002 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Galaxies

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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.