Pinwheel Galaxy
RA 14h 02m · Dec +54° 30′
5′

A large, nearly face-on spiral with asymmetric arms peppered with pink HII regions. The asymmetry is attributed to gravitational interaction with its satellite galaxies. Very low surface brightness — long integration needed to bring out the outer arms and companion galaxies.

Galaxy

Pinwheel Galaxy

M 101 · Ursa Major
These photons are ~20.9 million years old
UV/IRUV/IR-cut. Blocks ultraviolet and infrared so refractor optics stay in focus across the visible band.ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →
⧉ 5 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log
Date
11/03/2026
Location
54.4356° N, 0.7665° W
Integration
9m (54 × 10s)
Software
ZWO Seestar app
Notes
·
Total effort
41m over 1 night
Moon
🌗Last quarter, 48% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA
14h 01m 54.8s
Centre Dec
+54° 29′ 59″
Field
42.8′ × 76.1′
Pixel scale
1.19″/px
Orientation
127.8° E of N
Hemisphere
Northern
Also in this frame
NGC 5451NGC 5449NGC 5447M101NGC 5453NGC 5458NGC 5455NGC 5461NGC 5462NGC 5471NGC 5477

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeZWO Seestar S50
CameraZWO Seestar S50 Camera
RigFamily Holiday Rig

Where to find it

Finder chart
+54°+54°10′+54°20′+54°30′+54°40′+54°50′+55°+55°10′13h57m13h58m13h59m13h59m14h14h01m14h01m14h02m14h03m14h03m14h04m14h05m14h05m14h06m14h07mM 101NGC 5477NGC 5461NGC 5471NGC 5455NGC 5451NGC 5462NGC 5449NGC 5447M 101NGC 5453NGC 5450NGC 5458NE42.8′ x 76.1′5′

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 14 01 54.8 +54 29 59. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Guisborough, UK
54.4356° N, 0.7665° W · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is M 101?
M 101 is a galaxy.
Which constellation is M 101 in?
M 101 lies in the constellation Ursa Major.
How far away is M 101?
The light in this image left M 101 roughly ~20.9 million years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.
What are the coordinates of M 101?
M 101 sits at right ascension 14h 01m 55s and declination +54° 29′ 59″ (J2000).
When is the best time to photograph M 101?
M 101 is circumpolar from around 54°N - it never sets, and rides highest (about 90° altitude) on evenings around April.
What else is in this frame?
The plate-solved field also contains NGC 5451, NGC 5449, NGC 5447, NGC 5453, NGC 5458, NGC 5455, NGC 5461, and NGC 5462, among others.
What equipment was used to photograph M 101?
This image of M 101 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.
How much exposure time went into this image?
This image of M 101 represents 9m (54 × 10s) + 8m (48 x 10s) of total integration time.

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