Object	M101 - Pinwheel Galaxy
Scale	3.55 arc-secs/pixel
North angle	-8.87°
Date	03/23/01
Location	Lockwood Valley, CA
Equipment	TeleVue 101, ST7E, GM8
Processing	10 X 4 min, Gamma Stretch, MaxIM, Photoshop
Notes	Some iced dropouts due to -30 temp cooler set and high humidity.
Background	M101 almost face on is about 24 million light years distant with a diameter of over 170,000 light years. Interaction with a close galaxy is belived to have caused density waves compressing gasses and other matter creating star formation regions. These regions can be seen in the highlighted areas in M101's spiral arms. M101 is so large that its immense gravity distorts smaller nearby galaxies.