Astronomy Picture of the Day · May 2, 2015

M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 2, 2015 is “M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh). The original explanation runs about 136 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 famous catalog.”

— APOD editors, May 2, 2015

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: May 2, 2015
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 136 words

All of May 2015 → · 2015 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 2 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, May 2, 2015 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2015-may-2-m51-the-whirlpool-galaxy

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.