Galaxy
Black Eye Galaxy
Spiral galaxy · M64 · NGC 4826
Spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices
Photo: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
The Black Eye Galaxy is a relatively isolated spiral galaxy 17 million light-years away in the constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered by Edward Pigott in March 1779, and independently by Johann Elert Bode the following month, as well as by Charles Messier the next year. A dark band of absorbing dust partially in front of its bright nucleus gave rise to its nicknames of the "Black Eye", "Evil Eye", or "Sleeping Beauty" galaxy. M64 is well known among amateur astronomers due to its form in small telescopes and visibility across inhabited latitudes.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~22–26 million light-years
Apparent mag.
+8.5
Apparent size
10.7′ × 5.1′
Best seen with
Binoculars
Catalogue
M64 · NGC 4826
Did you know
- Listed as Messier 64 in the Messier catalogue, also known as NGC 4826.
- Found in the constellation Coma Berenices.
- Within reach of ordinary binoculars under dark skies.
