This is an uncommonly beautiful image of M101 , thePinwheel Galaxy , captured by photographerJohn Purvison a clear night . It ’s a rare gem , because M101 is specially difficult to snap , being so far away and so shadowy . It requires long exposures , and a lot of patience .
As Purvisexplains on his Flickr Sir Frederick Handley Page :
The beautiful boldness - on helical galaxy M101 in Ursa John Major is incredibly elaborated but dim ! It ’s only eighth order of magnitude so it need long exposures and relatively dark skies .
The range below are composed of 7 x 12 mo ( 720 sec ) and 2 x 6 minute ( 360 sec ) exposures ( entire integrating fourth dimension = 94 minute ) .
M101 has slimly gonzo helical arm and has many bright nebulae ( bright blue - white OB social class champion clump and beleaguer gasolene ) and ruddy HII regions . These features suggest that it has interacted with another galaxy gravitationally and is currently undergo very active superstar formation . There are also several background Galax urceolata in the full frame figure of speech as a large cluster of galaxies lie in the direction of Ursa major .
Although Charles Messier ’s supporter , Pierre Mechain was the first to catalog M101 , It was Lord Rosse in Ireland ( with the 72 inch Leviathan telescope at Birr castle ) who was the first to analyse and catalogue some of the subregions listed below .
M101 was actually listed double in the Messier catalog as M101 and M102 in 1781 ( Pierre ’s mistake ! Corrected in 1783 ) hence you will sometimes hear the Messier catalogue number as either 110 or 109 object .
The item-by-item HII regions and expelling nebula in M101 have their own NGC numbers . M101 has eleven NGC entrance – more than any other undivided entity .
See more of Purvis ’ photoshere .
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