Messier 101 (M101), also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major and lies at a distance of 21 million light years from Earth. With a linear extension of 170,000 light years, the Pinwheel Galaxy is about 70 percent larger than our Milky Way. M101 appears symmetric in its central region, but is really quite asymmetrical in the outer regions as a result of interactions with smaller companion galaxies. The galaxy’s core is displaced from the centre, likely as a result of a collision in the recent past. This image is a reprocessed version of the first light of my remote controlled observatory.
Cropped image of Messier 101
Wider FOV with Messier 101 and NGC 5474 (top)
Telescope: 16″ f3.75 Dream Scope
Camera: FLI ML16803
Mount: ASA DDM85
Exposure: 67x5min L + 22x5min each for RGB
Acquisition: March – April 2017 – Processing: March 2021
Location: Southern Alps, France
Bart Delsaert - Astrophotography 