The Sky at Night: Secrets of the Whirlpool Galaxy

The Sky at Night focuses its attention on M51 aka the Whirlpool Galaxy. Sitting approximately 30 million light years from Earth, this spiral galaxy was discovered in 1773 by the French astronomer Charles Messier. It is thought to have been the inspiration behind the swirling patterns of van Gogh's Starry Night. June 1st has been declared Whirlpool Galaxy Day. On this one day we will be aiming as many telescopes as possible at the galaxy. Images will be taken by optical and infra-red telescopes on top of volcanoes in Hawaii and La Palma, the radio signature will be captured at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory in Cambridge, and in orbit the Swift space telescope will aim its ultraviolet and X-ray sensors at the galaxy. By examining the galaxy at as many magnifications and wavelengths as possible the programme will build up a portrait of this galaxy - unlocking the secrets of the formation of the spiral arms and revealing how they have triggered a wave of intense star formation.