M51：哈勃拍摄的漩涡星系
(原标题: M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy from Hubble)
2022-06-13
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漩涡星系是一个典型的螺旋星系。M51，也被称为NGC 5194，距离我们只有3000万光年，直径整整6万光年，是天空中最明亮、最美丽的星系之一。这张特色图像是哈勃太空望远镜以不同颜色拍摄的图像的数字组合，突出了许多鲜明的特征。然而，只要有一副好的双筒望远镜，就能看到这个漩涡正朝着猎犬星座（Canes Venatici）。M51是Sc型螺旋星系，是整个星系群的主要成员。天文学家推测，M51的螺旋结构主要是由于它与图像中较小的星系的引力相互作用。
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The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral galaxy. At only 30 million light years distant and fully 60 thousand light years across, M51, also known as NGC 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies on the sky. The featured image is a digital combination of images taken in different colors by the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope, highlighting many sharp features. Anyone with a good pair of binoculars, however, can see this Whirlpool toward the constellation of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici). M51 is a spiral galaxy of type Sc and is the dominant member of a whole group of galaxies. Astronomers speculate that M51's spiral structure is primarily due to its gravitational interaction with the smaller galaxy on the image left.
© Bernard Miller