Cosmic Scale
Whirlpool Galaxy
Grand-design spiral galaxy · 31 million light-years
How big is Whirlpool Galaxy?
Whirlpool Galaxy is about 76,900 light-years across.
See Whirlpool Galaxy in 3D, at true scale
The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral seen face-on, its arms stirred up by a smaller galaxy, NGC 5195, that is passing behind one of them.
At a glance
| Diameter | 76,900 light-years |
|---|---|
| Mass | 3.18 × 10⁴¹ kg |
| Diameter compared with Earth | 5.7 × 10¹³ × Earth |
| Distance | About 31 million light-years |
| Size | About 77,000 light-years |
| Also known as | M51 |
| Companion | NGC 5195 |
Good to know
- It was the first galaxy found to have a spiral shape, by Lord Rosse in 1845.
- Three supernovae have been seen in it since 1994.
- A candidate planet was spotted in it in 2021, the first possible planet in another galaxy.
- Next smaller: Triangulum Galaxy · 61,100 light-years
- Next larger: Milky Way · 100,000 light-years