Messier 63 (M63)

The Sunflower Galaxy, whose arms break into short patchy segments rather than sweeping spirals.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1779, Messier's first genuine find by his assistant.
• Its flocculent arms are driven by local star formation rather than a grand density wave.
• The rotation of its outer disc is too fast for its visible mass — early dark-matter evidence.

Specifications & Metrics

• GALAXY TYPE: Flocculent spiral (SAbc)
• DISTANCE: ~29 million light-years