Whirlpool Square This sharpest-ever image of the

This sharpest-ever image of the Whirlpool Galaxy

At a relatively bright magnitude of +8

originally release by the Hubble Heritage Project in 2002

0° latitude

Whirlpool Square This sharpest-ever image of theThe graceful, winding arms of the majestic spiral galaxy M51 (NGC 5194) appear like a grand spiral staircase sweeping through space. They are actually long lanes of stars and gas laced with dust. This sharpest ever image of the Whirlpool Galaxy, taken in January 2005 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, illustrates a spiral galaxy's grand design, from its curving spiral arms, where young stars reside, to its