Whirlpoolgalaxy M 51 accompanied by NGC 5195 (May 29, 2003)
Both galaxies you can see in this picture are about 23 million lightyears away from Earth. The bigger one (M 51) has a diameter of about 100,000 lightyears. It contains many blue giant stars that formed after both galaxies collided.

Composite image, Celestron Newton 200/1000, Nikon Coolpix 4500

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