M 64 – NGC 4826

T-M64-LRGB-Final2-SCNR-C

Click here for full resolution image

M 64 is usually known as the Black Eye galaxy, due to the dark dust lane around the galaxy’s nucleus. M 64 lies about 20 million light years away and has a size quite similar to M33’s, about one half the size of the Milky Way and about 30 billion stars. M64 has an astonishing feature, discovered using the Hubble Telescope images: the interstellar gas of the galaxy’s outer regions rotates in the opposite direction from the gas and stars in the inner regions. This brings, as a natural consequence, a high star-birth rate due to the logical shear and “compression” in the “colliding” zone.

Additional Information

Object

Name(s): M 64, NGC 4826, Black Eye Galaxy

Type: Spiral galaxy

RA:  12h 56m 43s

Dec: 21ΒΊ 41’ 06”

Constellation: Coma Berenices

Size (arcmin): 10×5.5

Magnitude: +8.5

Distance: 20 Mly

Image

Date: 2013-06-04

Location: Corbera de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia

Size (arcmin): 37×28

Telescope: Celestron 11” HD f/10

Camera: FLI ML6303 (3072x2048pix)

Guiding: Orion SSAG/Nikkor 500mm f/8

Total exposure: 90 min  (L: 30min; RGB: 60min)

Processing: CCDStack, Photoshop CC 2016

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected !!