Whirlpool Galaxy
Where is the Whirlpool Galaxy?
Look northwest, about 29° up at 20:20 in Canes Venatici.
- Rises
- Always up
- Highest
- 13:34
- Sets
- Never
- Best after dark
- 20:20 · 29°
Can I see the Whirlpool Galaxy tonight?
From London tonight, the Whirlpool Galaxy is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest soon after dark, around 20:20, in the northwest at 29°.
At magnitude 8.4, with its light spread out, it needs a telescope and a dark sky.
This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.
What does the Whirlpool Galaxy look like?
Eyes
Not visible.
Binoculars
Under dark skies, a faint smudge.
Telescope
Two round glows, the larger with a bright core. With 200 mm or more under dark skies, spiral arms and the bridge to the companion can be seen. From suburbs, only the cores show.
About the Whirlpool Galaxy
The Whirlpool Galaxy is a grand spiral seen face-on, interacting with a smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5195, at the end of one of its arms. It lies roughly 25–30 million light-years away.
In 1845, Lord Rosse sketched spiral structure in M51 with his huge telescope in Ireland. It was the first time anyone had seen the spiral shape of what we now know is a galaxy.
M51 is a showpiece in photographs, but by eye it needs a dark sky to show more than two faint glows.
Charles Messier discovered the Whirlpool in 1773, and his colleague Pierre Méchain found its companion in 1781. Several supernovae have appeared in M51 in recent decades, including ones in 1994, 2005 and 2011.
It is one of the most photographed galaxies in the sky, and a well-known Hubble image released in 2005 shows its arms in detail.
Nearby in the sky
Questions
Can I see the spiral arms of the Whirlpool?
Sources: SkyMate; OpenNGC (CC BY-SA 4.0); star chart: Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences