Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 20, 2021

The Magnetic Field of the Whirlpool Galaxy

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 20, 2021 is “The Magnetic Field of the Whirlpool Galaxy,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , SOFIA , HAWC+ , Alejandro S. Borlaff ; JPL-Caltech , ESA , Hubble ; Text: Jayanne English ( U. Manitoba ). The original explanation runs about 166 words.

From the explanation

“Do magnetic fields always flow along spiral arms? Our face-on view of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) allows a spectacularly clear view of the spiral wave pattern in a disk-shaped galaxy.”

— APOD editors, January 20, 2021

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 20, 2021
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit: NASA , SOFIA , HAWC+ , Alejandro S. Borlaff ; JPL-Caltech , ESA , Hubble ; Text: Jayanne English ( U. Manitoba )
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 166 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: January 20 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 20, 2021 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2021-january-20-the-magnetic-field-of-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.