M101 image from an anonymous source
Image of the Pinwheel Galaxy M101 by Greg Bothun, taken in the blue light
with reimaging optics on a 52-inch telescope. The exposure time was 30
University of Oregon collection
- More images from Greg Bothun’s collection
This is the nearby Sc spiral (in fact, perhaps the textbook example of
a luminous so-called luminosity class I spiral) NGC 5457 or Messier 101.
It has several extremely luminous star-forming (H II) regions in the
outer spiral arms, some sporting their own NGC numbers. It dominates
a small group of galaxies, with some of its neighbors such as NGC 5474
showing wear and tear attributed to the tidal effects of M101. M101
itself is further noteworthy for its extensive and lopsided
distribution of neutral hydrogen gas, and for showing evidence
of gas falling into its disk at high speeds.
This image is from a blue-light exposure
taken with a focal reducer on the 1.1-meter Hall telescope of Lowell
Observatory.
From Bill Keel‘s
at the University of Alabama.
- Amateur images of M101;
more amateur images (Wallis/Provin)
- UV image of M101
(UIT, Astro-2 Space Shuttle mission, STS-67)
Last Modification: 28 Jun 1998, 18:30 MET