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M51, The Whirlpool Galaxy: DCT First Light Big Pic Gallery

Jul 21, 2012 03:00 AM ET
Lowell Observatory. Used with permission.

July 21, 2012 — The Discovery Channel Telescope at Lowell Observatory, near Flagstaff, Arizona, is complete and has begun observing the cosmos with its 16-million-pixel camera. This camera is a close relative to the NSF-funded 36-million-pixel Large Monolithic Imager (LMI) that is now undergoing advanced testing and will soon be the primary imager for the DCT.

The beautiful "Whirlpool Galaxy" has also been imaged by the DCT that, in 2011, played host to a supernova. M51 is located approximately 23 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici.

PHOTOS: Get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Discovery Channel Telescope

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