Far-ultraviolet to far-infrared images of the nearby galaxy NGC 5194 (M51a), from a combination of space-based (Spitzer, GALEX, and Hubble Space Telescope) and ground-based data, are used to investigate local and global star formation and the impact of dust extinction. The Spitzer data provide unprecedented spatial detail in the infrared, down to sizes 500 pc at the distance of NGC 5194. The multiwavelength set is used to trace the relatively young stellar populations, the ionized gas, and the dust absorption and emission in HII-emitting knots, over 3 orders of magnitude in wavelength range.