Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

21st Century M101

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for July 13, 2012 is “21st Century M101,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , ESA , CXC , JPL, Caltech STScI. The original explanation runs about 185 words.

21st Century M101
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , CXC , JPL, Caltech STScI Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“One of the last entries in Charles Messier’s famous catalog, big, beautiful spiral galaxy M101 is 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, July 13, 2012

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
July 13, 2012
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , CXC , JPL, Caltech STScI
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 185 words

All of July 2012 → · 2012 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Milky WayGalaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: July 13 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.