Messier 64

This dusty galaxy is also known as the Black Eye Galaxy.

Distance

17 million light-years

Apparent Magnitude

9.8

constellation

Coma Berenices

object type

Spiral Galaxy

This image taken with the Hubble Space Telescope features NGC 4826, otherwise known as M64— a spiral galaxy located 17 million light-years away in the constellation of Coma Berenices (Berenice’s Hair). This galaxy is often referred to as the “Black Eye” or “Evil Eye” Galaxy because of the dark band of dust that sweeps across one side of its bright nucleus. M64 is known by astronomers for its strange internal motion.

NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI); Acknowledgment: S. Smartt (Institute of Astronomy) and D. Richstone (U. Michigan)

Easily identified by the spectacular band of absorbing dust partially obscuring its bright nucleus, Messier 64, or the Black Eye Galaxy, is characterized by its bizarre internal motion. The gas in the outer regions of this remarkable galaxy is rotating in the opposite direction from the gas and stars in its inner regions. This strange behavior can be attributed to a merger between M64 and a satellite galaxy over a billion years ago.

In order to penetrate the dust clouds swirling around the center of M64, Hubble observed it at infrared wavelengths. The resulting snapshot reveals the galaxy’s bright core and star-forming clouds that surround it.

Torsten Boeker, Space Telescope Science Institute and NASA/ESA

New stars are forming in the region where the oppositely rotating gases collide, are compressed, and then contract. Particularly noticeable in this stunning Hubble image of the galaxy’s core are hot, blue stars that have just formed, along with pink clouds of glowing hydrogen gas that fluoresce when exposed to ultraviolet light from newly formed stars.

M64 was discovered by the English astronomer Edward Pigott. It is located 17 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices and is best observed in May. With an apparent magnitude of 9.8, the Black Eye Galaxy can be spotted with a moderately sized telescope.

For more information about Hubble’s observations of M64, see:

This star chart for M64 represents the view from mid-northern latitudes for the given month and time.

Image courtesy of Stellarium

A star chart shows M64 as seen from the Southern Hemisphere in the northern night sky in May at 10pm.

This star chart for M64 represents the view from mid-southern latitudes for the given month and time.

Image courtesy of Stellarium

Explore Hubble's Messier Catalog

The following pages contain some of Hubble’s best images of Messier objects.

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