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Zodiac: Scorpius
Oct 24 - Nov 22
Read more about Scorpius.
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Messier 101 (Pinwheel Galaxy)

Messier object number 101 (NGC 5457) is a spiral galaxy and in the constellation of Great Bear. It is also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy. It is approximately 21 million lightyears away from earth.
The Pinwheel Galaxy is a spiral galaxy, just like our own Milky Way Galaxy. However, while our own galaxy hosts "only" around 100 billion stars, the Pinwheel Galaxy is really huge, with an estimated one trillion stars. It is around 50-70% larger in size and sits at distance of around 21 million light years. That means, the light we see today travelled 21 million years through space before reaching us. Looking at the Pinwheel Galaxy is like looking 21 million years into the past.
 
The Pinwheel Galaxy is also known as Messier Object 101 (M101). Charles Messier was a famous astronomer of the 18th and 19th century, who compiled a list of 110 well visible deep sky objects - the Messier Catalog. However, it was not discovered by Messier itself, but by Pierre Méchain in 1781.
 
Like our Milky Way Galaxy, the Pinwheel Galaxy has a number of much smaller companion galaxies, such as NGC 5204 or NGC 5474.
Declination
54.3636°
Right ascension
-9h -56m -42.96s (-149.17900°)
The magnitude (brightness) is measured on a logarithmic scale. Small numbers mean bright stars: A star with a brightness of 1 mag is 100 times brighter that an star with 6 mag.
Magnitude
8.5 mag
not in database
The distance is measured in light years (LY). A light year is the distance, that light travels within one year. 1 LJ is equal to about 5,878,630,000,000 miles.
Distance
21 million21 mil ly
not in database
Messier NºMessier Nº
101
NGC NºNGC Nº
5457
Every star belongs to a constellation, and 12 of those constellations are part of the zodiac.
Constellation
Ursa Major (Great Bear)

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The NFT has been purchased. Below is the information that is documented in the Ethereum blockchain.
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Dedicate this spiral galaxy on Staracle and receive the NFT and a framed certificate (selected shipping countries). Our Stellar Smart Contract in the Ethereum blockchain brings you as close to owning a stellar object as you can get. Find out more!
This object was minted. You can purchase the Non-Fungible Token (NFT). An NFT is a digital asset, a proof-of-ownership in the Ethereum blockchain. Once you purchased the NFT, your ownership will be documented on Staracle. You can trade the NFT on online market places like OpenSea, since it is a digital asset according to the OpenZeoppelin ERC721 standard. Read more on our NFTs here.
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or
Dedicate this spiral galaxy on Staracle and receive the NFT and a framed certificate (selected shipping countries). Our Stellar Smart Contract in the Ethereum blockchain brings you as close to owning a stellar object as you can get. Find out more!
This star was minted. You can purchase the Non-Fungible Token (NFT). An NFT is a digital asset, a proof-of-ownership in the Ethereum blockchain. Once you purchased the NFT, your ownership will be documented on Staracle. You can trade the NFT on online market places like OpenSea, since it is a digital asset according to the OpenZeoppelin ERC721 standard. Read more on our NFTs here.
If you would like to dedicate this object and purchase the NFT directly with your credit card or via PayPal, please contact us directly.
or
Contract ID
Token ID
101004314866005104972715600020110 (download meta data)
Wallet ID of NFT owner
Mint this star for only and document it with an NFT in the Ethereum blockchain. Includes a free premium package for your star.
Once you purchased the NFT, your ownership will be documented in the Staracle Stellar Smart Contract on the Ethereum blockchain and on Staracle.com. You can trade the NFT on online market places like OpenSea, since it is a digital asset according to the OpenZeppelin ERC721 standard.
Or purchase it directly with your credit card or Paypal:
Or purchase it directly with your credit card or Paypal:
This object was minted. You can purchase the Non-Fungible Token (NFT). An NFT is a digital asset, a proof-of-ownership in the Ethereum blockchain. Once you purchased the NFT, your ownership will be documented on Staracle. You can trade the NFT on online market places like OpenSea, since it is a digital asset according to the OpenZeoppelin ERC721 standard. Read more on our NFTs here.
This star was minted. You can purchase the Non-Fungible Token (NFT). An NFT is a digital asset, a proof-of-ownership in the Ethereum blockchain. Once you purchased the NFT, your ownership will be documented on Staracle. You can trade the NFT on online market places like OpenSea, since it is a digital asset according to the OpenZeoppelin ERC721 standard. Read more on our NFTs here.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our NFT collectibles, please do not hesitate to contact us anytime.
Image credit: European Space Agency & NASA
Disclaimer
While we take great care in compiling the data of all astronomical objects in our database, errors can never be ruled out completely. Therefore, no warranty is taken over for the correctness of the data, the descriptions, or the associated images. Staracle cannot be held liable for any damage, direct or indirect, that may result from incorrect data.
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