MESSIER OBJECT 101 - THE PINWHEEL GALAXY. Located in the constellation Ursa Major approximately 23 million light years away. A notable feature of this galaxy is the numerous HII regions scattered throughout its spiral arms. These HII regions are areas of star formation and can be seen in this image as bright clumps around the periphery. M101 is so massive that its gravitational effect distorts smaller nearby galaxies.

Imaged at Tres Placitas Observatory Santa Fe, NM March 2003

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