The story for kids
This is the Whirlpool Galaxy. Its arms swirl around like water going down a drain, and at the end of one arm there's a little galaxy holding its hand!
Facts
- Its spiral arms are very easy to see – like water swirling.
- At the end of one arm is a small galaxy that it is pulling towards itself.
- The pink spots are places where new stars are born.
Numbers
- Type
- Spiral
- Distance
- ~31 million light-years
- Diameter
- ~76,000 light-years