M 100 is located 52 million light years away and is one of the largest and brightest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster a grouping that consists of approximately 2500 galaxies.
The galaxy is classed as a grand design spiral and has two very well defined spiral arms emanating from a bar with a number of fainter arms.
The arms extend from a ring of hot dust which is an area of heavy star formation around the galactic core
M100 is a bit of a challenge to image from Chile as it never rises above 45 degrees.
Imaged in LRGB on my Planewave CDK 1000 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image acquisition and processing: Mike Selby