The galaxy M51, or Whirlpool Galaxy, is one of the most iconic and extensively studied spiral galaxies in the sky. The Hα emission in M51 highlights the most intense star‑forming regions, distributed along the spiral arms and particularly concentrated in the central area. These regions appear as bright points or knots along the arms, often associated with young stellar clusters. It is famous for its perfectly defined spiral structure and for the spectacular interaction with its companion, NGC 5195. The image is the result of five imaging sessions taken on different nights and locations, totaling 6 hours and 57 minutes in RGB and 1 hour in Hα.

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