One of the brightest and most beautiful galaxies in our local group, is spiral galaxy M51 in Ursa Major. For visual observers, it is located close to the bottom of the handle of the Big Dipper. M51 is a perfect example of a galactic merger. Click image for a larger version. Imaging telescope: Vixen VC200L astrograph f/9 Imaging camera: QHY9M CCD Filters: Orion 2'' RGB Mount: Astro-Physics AP900 GTO Other: Meade DSI guider, Robofocus Software: CCD Commander, Maxim DL, Ph