An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

A powerful water current moving rapidly in a circular manner, as that produced by the meeting of opposing currents, sucking down anything that comes within. → Whirlpool galaxy.

From whirl "to turn around," from M.E. whirlen, from O.N. hvirfla "to whirl," cognate with O.E. hweorfan "to turn;" + → pool "a body of water."

Gerdâb "whirlpool," from gerd from gardidan "to turn" (→ -tropic) + âb, → water.

A large → spiral galaxy of type Sc seen → face-on in the constellation → Canes Venatici and lying about 31 million → light-years away. Also known as M51 and NGC 5194. It is interacting with a small irregular galaxy NGC 5195.

→ whirlpool; → galaxy.