M101 lies 21 million light-years distant from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major.
This giant spiral disk of stars, dust and gas is 170,000 light-years across, almost twice the diameter of our Milky Way galaxy. Also know as the Pinwheel Galaxy, M101 is estimated to contain at least one trillion stars. This galaxy portrait is actually composed of 51 individual exposures taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 spanning March 1994, September 1994, June 1999, November 2002, and January 2003. It was first discovered by Pierre Méchain on March 27, 1781, and Charles Messier verified its position for inclusion as one of the final entries in the Messier Catalogue.
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Object Name: M101 (NGC 5457, Pinwheel Galaxy)
Release Date: Feb 28, 2006
Image Credits: Credit for Hubble Image: NASA, ESA, K. Kuntz (JHU), F. Bresolin (University of Hawaii), J. Trauger (Jet Propulsion Lab), J. Mould (NOAO), Y.-H. Chu (University of Illinois, Urbana), and STScI; Credit for CFHT Image: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/ J.-C. Cuillandre/Coelum; Credit for NOAO Image: G. Jacoby, B. Bohannan, M. Hanna/ NOAO/AURA/NSF
The images available at Posternauts.com have been curated from the thousands of photographs taken and collected by NASA/JPL, the Hubble Space Telescope, and other space agencies. We are able to offer these images to you in print form because they are available in the public domain. If you are interested in viewing even more images and exploring the science and discoveries they represent, you will enjoy visiting the following web pages for more.
HubbleSite - News, Images and more from the Hubble Space Telescope
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Space Mission and Science news, Videos, and Images
SpaceX - Exciting images of launches, vehicles, and more.
European Space Agency - Dedicated to the exploration of Space since 1975
European Southern Observatory - Home of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in northern Chile.
James Webb Space Telescope - Follow the progress of this project still in development
Posternauts prints are available on three types of media, framed and unframed. Listed below for your information are the specifications for these materials.
Matte Paper
Our matte paper produces images that are vivid and vibrant, the perfect solution for museum quality photographic and fine art works.
• 10 mil thick, durable, matte paper
• Archival quality and acid free
Photo Paper
In between a gloss and matte finish, our photo paper provides you with highly saturated, maximum ink coverage. Because of its saturation and resistance to fingerprints, luster paper is a popular choice for photographic prints.
• 10 mil thick, durable, slightly glossy paper
• Archival quality and acid free
• Fingerprint resistant
Canvas
Photo-quality prints can be made into eye-popping art.
A statement piece and artwork all in one, and the depth of the canvas adds a dimension to a room.
• 20.5 mil thick canvas, 470gsm
• Mounting brackets included - centered on frame
• Hand-stretched with matte-finish coating
• Hand glued solid wood stretcher bars
• Printed on textured and fade-resistant canvas (OBA-Free)
• 1.5" deep profile
Frames
A frame can be added to any matte paper or photo paper poster order to protect your print and help you hang your order quickly and easily.
• Lightweight, semi-hardwood, made from Alder, black in color
• 0.75” thick frame border
• Acrylite front protector
• Hanging hardware attached
