Arp 26 • M101 • NGC 5457 • Pinwheel Galaxy
Arp 26 corresponds to NGC 5457, better known as M101, the Pinwheel Galaxy. This enormous face-on spiral shows pronounced asymmetry and fragmented spiral arms, likely caused by past gravitational interactions.
Challenge: The straight NE arm, the W curved light arm with its four straight decoupled segments.
Object Data
Arp:
Arp 26
NGC:
NGC 5457
Type:
Face-on spiral galaxy
Constellation:
Ursa Major
Arp field:
36'x26'
Distance:
21 Mly
Observation Data
Location:
Pollux Observatory, Zuidlaren
Date:
2026-03-18
Technical Data
Exposure time:20 x 5 min
Total: 1.7 h
Total: 1.7 h
Telescope:
Takahashi FSQ106 ED
Camera:
ZWO ASI 294mc Pro (OSC)
Color palette:
RGB
Filters:
None
Tags
galaxy, spiral galaxy, Ursa Major, Arp