The forces of rotation caused red hot masses of stones to be torn away from the Earth and to be thrown into the ether, and this is the origin of the stars.

— Anaxagoras 428 BC

Whirlpool Galaxy

m 51

M51 galaxy in Canes Venatici, just off the tip of the handle of the Big Dipper. It's way up high in the sky around 9pm this time of year.

Image is a composite of four images, three 50 minutes images in red green and blue and a two hour image in white light. Mount Takahashi NJP, scope Takahashi refractor TOA-130, camera Starligh Xpress SXVH9 guided through a Borg 76ED. 

m 51

M51_2hrExposure SN2005cs

Took your advice Joe and image M51 for 2 consecutive hours, guiding did not work again, so I did it the OLD FASHION WAY, 120 one minute combined images in MaximDL/CCD.   Was a great night until the Moon came up causing a hazy sky throughout the East and Southeastern skies.  Tried guiding with the software that came with the mount after completing the above image, it showed that it was guiding, star did not go outside the crosshair.  I did not image as it was already 1:30 am Monday and I was tired.

M51_2hrExposure SN2005cs

M51

Taken Tuesday evening from Whiting, NJ, thru my trusted Orion 80ED on a Celestron CGEM mount.  Set up to do a one hour exposure, due to high "not so thin" clouds I was forced to close after 28 minutes, which is what this exposure totals.  

M51

m51 again

80 minutes on IC-4277 (spiral galaxy edge on, bottom left) and IC-4277 (Irregular galaxy, bottom center) and M51 (the big thingy in middle of the picture)

m51 again

M51 on a clear night

Another night of perfect skies, just before the muggy weather comes in this weekend.  Tuesday evening I took M51 combined one hour exposure.  Orion 80ed on Vixen mount.  There is another galaxy lower left hand corner, 14 mag I.C.4263, highlighted in dim circle.

M51 on a clear night