Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 5, 2008

M51: Cosmic Whirlpool

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 5, 2008 is “M51: Cosmic Whirlpool,” an image. It is credited to Credit: S. Beckwith ( STScI ) Hubble Heritage Team , (STScI/ AURA ), ESA , NASA. The original explanation runs about 142 words.

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 might find this stunning pair of interacting galaxies, the 51st entry in Charles Messier’s famous catalog.”

— APOD editors, January 5, 2008

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 5, 2008
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: S. Beckwith ( STScI ) Hubble Heritage Team , (STScI/ AURA ), ESA , NASA
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 142 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: January 5 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 5, 2008 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2008-january-5-m51-cosmic-whirlpool

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.