Whirlpool Galaxy

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/whirlpool-galaxy

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How heavy is the Whirlpool Galaxy?Estimated to be between 10^6 and 10^7 solar masses
2. What is the redshift and distance?Redshift (z) ~0.0016, corresponding to a distance of approximately 28 million light-years
3. What is the historical designation?Messier 51a (M51a), NGC 5194
4. Why are the spiral arms of the Whirlpool Galaxy so bright?The arms are bright because new, hot O and B type stars form there. Their strong ultraviolet light ionizes the gas, making the arms glow blue.
5. How does the Whirlpool Galaxy interact with its smaller friend NGC 5195?NGC 5195 passes through the Whirlpool Galaxy’s disk, pulling on it and creating a bridge of gas and stars. This interaction makes the spiral arms stronger and triggers lots of new star formation.

Grand-Design Spiral Galaxy: A spiral galaxy with two prominent, well-defined spiral arms extending from the center.
Density Wave Theory: A theory explaining spiral arms as regions of higher stellar and gas density that propagate through a galactic disk.
Starburst Galaxy: A galaxy undergoing an exceptionally high rate of star formation, often triggered by galactic interactions.
Extragalactic: Originating or situated outside of our own Milky Way galaxy.