M64

From South Dublin Astronomical Society

M64
Type	Spiral Galaxy
NGC	NGC 4826
Constellation	Coma Berenices
Right Ascension	12h 56.7m
Declination	+21° 41'
Magnitude	8.5
Size	9 x 5 arc min.
Image:M64 messier image.jpg

The heavy obscuration of the near-nuclear region of M64 by dense clouds of dust is a giveaway as to why this galaxy is nicknamed the Black-Eye. It was recently shown to have two counterrotating systems of stars and gas in the disk.The compression of interstellar clouds due to each region “rubbing” off the other has led to intense bursts of star formation. The galaxy can be found as a small oval blob of light roughly one third of the way along a line traced from Alpha to Gamma Comae Berenices (both stars are of magnitude 4·3) — the distance between the two stars is about 15º . It has been suggested that larger binoculars will hint at the dark patch that smears the nucleus though it takes ideal conditions to do so. M 64 is 19 million light years from us and has a diameter of 51,000 light years. It is a probable member of the Canes Venatici I Galaxy Cloud.