Astronomy Picture of the Day · April 15, 2011

Messier 101

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for April 15, 2011 is “Messier 101,” an image. It is credited to Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive , ESA , NASA ; Processing and additional imaging – Robert Gendler. The original explanation runs about 145 words.

From the explanation

“Big, beautiful spiral galaxy M101 is one of the last entries in Charles Messier’s famous catalog, but definitely not one of the least . About 170,000 light-years across, this galaxy is enormous, almost twice the size of our own Milky Way galaxy.”

— APOD editors, April 15, 2011

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: April 15, 2011
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive , ESA , NASA ; Processing and additional imaging – Robert Gendler
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 145 words

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Topics in this entry

The Milky Way Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: April 15 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, April 15, 2011 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2011-april-15-messier-101

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.