M64, THE BLACK EYE GALAXY
This photo was taken in Kyle, Texas, under Bortle 5.9 skies, through a 6-inch f/4 Telescope, on a Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount, with a ZWO ASI533MC PRO color camera. Plus an Optolong L Pro Light Pollution Filter. The total image acquisition time is: 11 hrs 29 min 00 sec. The processing was done with PixInsight. [Full Size View] Full size files are very large and can take a minute to download. To zoom in or out on a computer, hold down the Ctrl key and use the scroll mouse button, or you can press the + or - key.
M64 is a spiral galaxy located 17 million light-years away in the constellation of Coma Berenices. The galaxy is often referred to as the Black Eye Galaxy because of the dark band of dust that sweeps across one side of its bright nucleus. M64 is also known by astronomers for its strange internal motion. The gas in the outer regions of the galaxy is rotating in the opposite direction from the gas and stars in its inner regions. This behavior can be attributed to a merger between the Black Eye Galaxy and a satellite galaxy over a billion years ago.