On Oct. 13, 1773, a French astronomer named Charles Messier discovered the "Whirlpool Galaxy," also known as Messier 51, or M51.
Charles Messier was scanning the sky for objects that could confuse comet hunters when he catalogued the galaxy as M51. However, Messier wasn't able to see the spiral structure, and he didn't identify it as a galaxy.
Spiral galaxy M51 (NGC 5194), The Whirlpool Galaxy, displays its long arms which consist of stars and gas laced with dust arranged in long lanes. NGC 5195, the small, yellowish galaxy to the right, appears to tug on one of the Whirlpool's arms, but NGC 5195 actually floats behind the Whirlpool.
Seventy-two years later, another astronomer named William Parsons saw the whirlpool shape, but he thought it was a spiral nebula. Eventually, Edwin Hubble found out that M51 and other features like it were actually galaxies.
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