STARCATCHER

The Whirlpool Galaxy (M-51) in Canes Venaciti, near the Big Dipper, is actually an interacting pair of colliding galaxies.

Normally seen face-on from Earth, the Artist has rendered an impossible view, close up, at a shallow angle. The smaller galaxy passed too close to the larger one, and was "captured" by one of its spiral arms.

The Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a possible black hole at the center of this bright galaxy. This is our largest print.