M64, The Blackeye Galaxy

 

    M64 (NGC 4826), Magnitude 8.5 Sb Spiral Galaxy, Size 11.0'x7.0', Constellation: Coma Berenices.

 

Image Details:

This beauty, the Blackeye (also sometimes called the Sleeping Beauty Galaxy (don't ask me why)) is not much of a challenge, with smallish scopes easily showing up the strange, dark patch near the nucleus for experienced observers.  It takes a considerably larger scope (or an electronic imager) to begin showing much detail in the bright regions, however.

M64's blackeye is thought to be the result of the galaxy apparently being made up of two counter-rotating disks. How far away is it? No one really knows, with distance estimates ranging from 14 to 50 million light years.

I was happy to achieve the details shown in this shot, which are similar to what I can do with a conventional CCD camera.


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