M51 - THE WHIRLPOOL GALAXY

This is an image of the Whirlpool Galaxy in Canes Venatici. It is a classic example of two interacting galaxies - the large galaxy M51 is ripping apart the smaller galaxy NGC 5495. The galaxy lies at a distance of approximately 33 million light years. The image is the combination of 200 X 15 second exposures using my SC3 at prime on my MN56. Both IRB filter and Light Pollution filter were used. This is the longest exposure I have taken to date (50 mins total).