Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Messier 101

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 16, 2025 is “Messier 101,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , ESA , CFHT , NOAO ; Acknowledgement – K.Kuntz ( GSFC ), F.Bresolin ( U.Hawaii ), J.Trauger ( JPL ), J.Mould ( NOAO ), Y.-H.Chu ( U. Illinois ). The original explanation runs about 157 words.

Messier 101
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , CFHT , NOAO ; Acknowledgement – K.Kuntz ( GSFC ), F.Bresolin ( U.Hawaii ), J.Trauger ( JPL ), J.Mould ( NOAO ), Y.-H.Chu ( U. Illinois ) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

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.”

— APOD editors, May 16, 2025

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
May 16, 2025
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , CFHT , NOAO ; Acknowledgement – K.Kuntz ( GSFC ), F.Bresolin ( U.Hawaii ), J.Trauger ( JPL ), J.Mould ( NOAO ), Y.-H.Chu ( U. Illinois )
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 157 words

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Topics in this entry

The Milky WayGalaxiesHubble Space Telescope

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 16 in other years

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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.