14 DAY TRIAL // A new, clear view of the Pinwheel Galaxy was just posted by French amateur astronomer Thierry Legault. The space enthusiast had to travel outside Paris, where he lives, in order to find skies dark enough to allow for such an image.
The object, which is located about 21 million light-years away, was first discovered on March 27, 1781, by astronomer Pierre Méchain. It is also one of the final entries in the Messier Catalog, which was compiled by famous astronomer Charles Messier.
As such, it is also known as galaxy Messier 101, or by its more recent designation of NGC 5457. The cosmic formation is located in the constellation Ursa Major. It is called the Pinwheel Galaxy due to the fact that astronomers see it head-on in telescope images.
According to measurements, the galaxy is around 170,000 light-years across, which makes it larger than the Milky Way. Our galaxy is about 120,000 light-years in diameter, Space reports.