Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter are all visible this month, but none of them are at their best, so I always concentrate on Galaxy spotting in May. First we need to find our night sky friend, the Plough constellation (‘Big Dipper’ in the USA).

The Plough is the easiest constellation to find, but this month it seems to be hiding? That’s because in May it’s right above your head!….Crane your neck back, and there it is, directly overhead. Looking at the Plough through binoculars or a telescope, you can peer outside the Milky Way at four of our Galaxy neighbours; M51, M81, M82 and M101.

These are the Messier Catalogue numbers, but I prefer their descriptions: The Spiral Galaxy, Whirlpool Galaxy, Starburst Galaxy and the Pinwheel Galaxy.  

M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy can be found just outside the constellation boundary, near the star Alkaid. Look at the Plough and the star furthest left is Alkaid. The Whirlpool Galaxy lies nearby, although “nearby” is still 37 million light years away! M51 has captured a smaller galaxy to it’s left, and the gravitational effects are deforming its shape. Eventually the two galaxies will merge.

In the upper right hand corner of the Plough are a pair of interacting galaxies M81  and M82. M81 is a spiral galaxy similar in shape to our own Milky Way, whereas M82 is still giving birth to thousands of new stars and is therefore called a ‘starburst galaxy’.

The Plough is also ‘home’ to another very beautiful galaxy, 24 million light years away. M101 is a very large spiral galaxy 170,000 light years wide, (our own Milky Way is 130,000 light years wide). This is a type Sc galaxy which has a relatively small nucleus and large open spiral arms. It looks like the effects of a  pinwheel firework, hence its name: Pinwheel Galaxy.

Here’s hoping for clear skies and dark nights.

John McNally