Image 7-13
Whirlpool Galaxy M51

M51 is considered to be one of the classic examples of a spiral galaxy. At a distance of about 30 million light years from Earth, it is also one of the brightest spiral galaxies in the night sky. A composite image of M51, also known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, shows the majesty of its structure in a dramatic new way through several of NASA's orbiting observatories. X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory was combined with optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope, infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and a view of from the GALEX telescope.