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| | Messier Object 51 |
 | | The famous Whirlpool galaxy M51 was one of Charles Messier's original discoveries: He discovered it on October 13, 1773, when observing a comet, and described it as a "very faint nebula, without stars" which is difficult to see. |
 | | Its companion, NGC 5195, was discovered on March 21, 1781 by his friend Pierre Méchain, so that it is mentioned in Messier's 1781 catalog: `It is double, each has a bright center, which are separated 4'35". |
 | | Newer HST investigations (published 2001) focus on investigation of the inner spiral arms and dust clouds, which are the birth sites of massive and luminous stars. |
| www.seds.org /messier/m/m051.html (625 words) |
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