Vassar Observatory Catches Whirlpool Galaxy

I know nothing about outer space, but everything about it fascinates me.

This coming from the girl who every couple of months checks on Hudson Valley UFO sightings on every form of social media. Dana Scully was a huge influence on my childhood.

Anyway, I came across a shared photo post on Facebook the other day that had me mesmerized. After taking a longer look at it, I realized the photo was taken locally so I had to share my findings.

Well, they're not my findings. According to the talented and super smart folks on the Vassar Observatory Facebook page, they caught a Whirlpool Galaxy on April 11. They were skimming the skies with their 32" reflector. I'm not as smart as the students and professors at Vassar, but I think it's safe to say a reflector is a big telescope.

The caption on the picture continues to explain what a Whirlpool Galaxy is. A Whirlpool Galaxy is also known as M51 or NGC 5194 and is only 30 million light years away. Who knows what you'll find looking up a the Hudson Valley sky.