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Carl Sagan repeatedly used the phrase "billions, and billions, and billions" when speaking of the stars within galaxies. This wide field image of the Whirlpool galaxy (M51) and its companion galaxy, Herschel 186-1, also contains 8 other faint galaxies and two more galaxies that were too faint to record in this 30 sec. unguided exposure using an 8-inch Takahashi 180ED Astrograph operating at f/2.8 coupled to a Canon Rebel XTi body.
M51 and Herschel 186-1 are two spiral galaxies like our own milky Way in the latter stages of collision. In a few billion years, our own galaxy will collide with its larger sister galaxy, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31).
Last December, I posted a picture of the The Whirlpool Galaxy in black and white for those who might wish to see an isolated view of the two prominent galaxies in collision.