Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)
Also known as M101 · M 101 · Pinwheel Galaxy · NGC 5457
Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) is a galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major, about 22.67 million light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Galaxy (shape S_AB) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Position (J2000) | 14h 03m 12s, +54° 20′ |
| Distance | 22.67 million light-years (its light set off about 22.67 million years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 7.86 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 21.9′ × 20.9′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Filter | No filter (It shines in starlight of every colour, so a nebula filter would only dim it; a dark sky helps more.) |
| Studied in | 3,173 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) is highest in the sky at midnight in April. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 56° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 86°. To see it you need binoculars.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Ursa Major
- Bode's Galaxy (M81)
- Cigar Galaxy (M82)
- M109 (NGC 3992)
- Markarian 421
- Owl Nebula (M97)
- Surfboard Galaxy (M108)
- Twin Quasar
- Winnecke 4 (M40)
Everything in Ursa Major · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits