Astronomy Picture of the Day · September 2, 2021

M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for September 2, 2021 is “M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis). The original explanation runs about 132 words.

From the explanation

“Find the Big Dipper and follow the handle away from the dipper’s bowl until you get to the last bright star. Then, just slide your telescope a little south and west and you’ll come upon this stunning pair of interacting galaxies, the 51st entry in Charles Messier’s famous catalog.”

— APOD editors, September 2, 2021

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: September 2, 2021
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 132 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: September 2 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, September 2, 2021 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2021-september-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.