Pinwheel Galaxy: A Grand Spiral of Star Formation

The Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) is a face-on spiral galaxy about 21 million light-years away in Ursa Major.
It spans nearly 170,000 light-years—almost twice the size of the Milky Way.
With over a trillion stars, it is one of the largest known spiral galaxies nearby.
Its spiral arms are filled with glowing nebulae and massive star-forming regions.
Giant H II regions in M101 are among the largest stellar nurseries in the universe.
Dust lanes thread through its arms, adding detail to its sweeping structure.
The Pinwheel Galaxy is slightly distorted, tugged by the gravity of nearby companion galaxies.
It shines brightly in ultraviolet due to its abundance of young, hot stars.
M101 has been a key target for studying supernovae and galactic evolution.
Its grand, open spiral design makes it a cosmic showcase of star formation in action.