One of the most amazing object visually with a scope >10″ the central dark band is clearly visible. Messier 64 (M64), also known as the Black Eye Galaxy, Evil Eye Galaxy, or Sleeping Beauty Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy located approximately 17 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered in 1779 by Edward Pigott and later independently by Johann Elert Bode and Charles Messier. More below
Astrophotography Challenges
Due to its bright core and dark spiral arms, capturing M64 requires careful processing to balance these features. It is considered a broadband target best photographed under dark skies without moonlight interference.
Messier 64 remains an intriguing object for both amateur astronomers and astrophysicists due to its unique internal dynamics and striking visual appearance.
Observational Details
- Magnitude: Apparent magnitude of 9.8; visible with moderately sized telescopes.
- Best Viewing Time: M64 is best observed in May.
- Distance and Speed: Located 17–24 million light-years away, it is receding at a speed of 408 km/s (254 miles per second)
Image Details
Imaged with William Optics FLT110 and Player One Uranus C Camera mounted on iOptron HEM27ec. Image is a straight 20 x 180s images, guided with ASI174mm and William Optics 50mm Uniguder. Image was processed in Pixinsight
Key Features
- Appearance: M64 is famous for its dark band of absorbing dust partially obscuring its bright nucleus, which gives it the nickname “Black Eye Galaxy.” This feature is visible even through small telescopes.
- Structure: Classified as a type 2 Seyfert galaxy, M64 has a morphological designation of (R)SA(rs)ab, indicating a non-barred spiral with transitional inner ring/spiral structures and tightly wound arms. The galaxy spans about 54,000 light-years in diameter.
- Internal Motion: M64 exhibits counter-rotating gas disks. The gas in its outer regions rotates opposite to the gas and stars in its inner regions, likely due to a merger with a satellite galaxy over a billion years ago. This collision compresses gas, leading to active star formation in the region where the disks interact.
- Star Formation: The inner disk produces vigorous star formation, with the galaxy containing approximately 100 billion stars. Hot blue stars and glowing hydrogen clouds are prominent near its core.
- Supermassive Black Hole: The central black hole is estimated to have a mass of 8.4×106 M⊙8.4×106M⊙
