M101
Informally known as the Pinwheel Galaxy, M101 is a spiral galaxy that is seen face on. It is a galaxy similar to our own galaxy, the Milky Way. It is relatively close by, only about 20 million light years away, meaning that we can see detail inside very well. The spiral arms of M101 are filled with numerous regions in which stars are forming (seen as pink clouds of gas).
| Observatory: | Kitt Peak National Observatory Kitt Peak, Arizona |
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| Telescope: | KPNO 4-Meter |
| Instrument: | Mosaic I |
| Astronomer: | T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) and H. Schweiker (WIYN and NOAO/AURA/NSF) |
| Date of Observation: | 06-17-2014 |
| Filters and Assigned Colors: | U (violet), B (blue), V (green), I (orange), and Hydrogen alpha (red) |
| Exposure Times: | 5x3min each in B, V, and I, 5x10min in U, and 4x10min in Hydrogen alpha |
| Location of Image: | Ursa Major |
| Field of View: | 31.6 x 31.9 arcmin |
| Orientation: | North is right, East is up |
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| Link to Full Resolution Image | |
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