each other, forming unusual shapes, such as the connecting bridge seen here.
The blueness of the Whirlpool Galaxy indicates the presence of many large, hot stars. Hot stars generally glow blue, while cooler stars appear red like embers in a fire (our own Sun, yellow in hue, lies somewhere in the middle of the stellar temperature scale). Like all blue stars, those in the Whirlpool Galaxy are quite young, most of them having formed in the last several million years.
Although NGC 5195 appears redder, it is actually every bit as blue as the Whirlpool Galaxy. The red is caused by the veil of gas and dust from the bridge between the galaxies, which scatters blue light while allowing red to pass.
