Stirling Astronomical Society Gallery

M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy in Canes Venatici. In 1845, Lord Rosse was the first to observe the sprial structure, using the 6-foot Birr Castle Telescope. This image was taken using a Seestar S30. Several smaller galaxies can be seen to the right, including the spindle galaxy IC 4263 (mid right) and spiral galaxy NGC 5169 (far right)