---
title: "Astronomy Photo of the Day: 5/8/14 – A Beautiful View of Messier 101"
description: "[caption id=\"attachment_23158\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"713\"] Image Credit: R Jay GaBany[/caption] This incredible image, taken by R Jay GaBany, reveals the many colorful layers of the galaxy known as The Pinwheel Galaxy (also known as Messier 101). This celestial feature is an extremely popular galaxy to capture and study, but this has to be one of the..."
date: "2014-05-08"
modified: "2014-05-08"
authors:
  - name: "Jaime Trosper"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jaimefqtq"
url: "https://futurism.com/apotd-messier-101"
categories:
  - "From Quarks to Quasars"
---

# Astronomy Photo of the Day: 5/8/14 – A Beautiful View of Messier 101

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/M101.jpg>)

[![Image Credit: R Jay GaBany](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/M101.jpg>)](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/M101.jpg>)
**Image Credit: R Jay GaBany**

This incredible image, [taken by R Jay GaBany](<http://www.cosmotography.com/>), reveals the many colorful layers of the galaxy known as The Pinwheel Galaxy (also known as Messier 101). This celestial feature is an extremely popular galaxy to capture and study, but this has to be one of the most spectacular images ever taken of it.

M101 itself has various interesting features, but perhaps most prominently (at least in this version) is its asymmetrical structure Astronomers posit that its unusual shape is an artifact left behind after the galaxy experienced a close encounter with another galaxy in its past, but the culprit has yet to be identified. Moreover, we can see almost 3,000 starforming regions that cropped up after the gravitational collision.

Another observation that sets this galaxy apart from other spirals like our galaxy is the sheer number of stars contained within. The Pinwheel Galaxy has [an estimated one TRILLION stars](<http://www.space.com/13206-pinwheel-galaxy-deep-space-skywatcher-photo.html>), while the Milky Way has about 400 billion (meaning, it has merely 1/4th of the stars the Pinwheel Galaxy has), though it's worth mentioning that the Milky Way is almost less than half its size.

This featured galaxy can be found about 21-million light-years away from Earth in the Ursa Major constellation.

*See a larger image [here](<http://www.cosmotography.com/images/close_new_m101.jpg>).*

# Spiral Galaxies:

## Author
Jaime is a freelance writer, who finds great joy in sharing the wonders of universe with others. She used this passion to launch "From Quarks to Quasars" in 2012.