The Whirlpool Galaxy is another very popular target for visual observers. It is about 23 million light years away from us in the constellation Canes Venatici.  There are actually two distinct galaxies pictured here and they are connected by a trail of stellar dust that is being pulled by gravity away from the smaller galaxy and into the larger one.Scope: AP 142 at f/7.5 Scope: AP142 at f/7.5 Mount: AP Mach1GTO Camera: QSI 583 at –15C Exposure: LRGB, 1.3 hrs L, RGB from older image