Description
We present the results of two Chandra observations (separated by 1yr) of the population of X-ray sources in the spiral galaxy M51 (NGC 5194 and NGC 5195). One hundred and thirteen X-ray sources have been detected in an 8.4'x8.4'(20.4x20.4kpc) region, and 84 and 12 of them project within the disks of NGC 5194 and NGC 5195, respectively. Nine and 28 sources have luminosities exceeding 1x10^39^erg/s (ultraluminous X-ray sources or ULXs) and 1x10^38^erg/s in the 0.5-8keV band, respectively, assuming that they are associated with M51. The number of ULXs is much higher than found in most normal spiral and elliptical galaxies. Most of the X-ray sources and all seven of the ULXs in NGC 5194 are located in, or close to, a spiral arm, suggesting a connection with recent star formation.
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