Messier 64 (M64)

The Black Eye Galaxy, whose bright nucleus is shadowed by a dark dust band across its face.

Core Principles & Analysis

• The dark lane is the remnant of a galactic merger some billion years past.
• Gas in its outer disc rotates backward relative to the inner disc — counter-rotating layers.
• Hubble found it in 1779, independently of Méchain's discovery a day earlier.

Specifications & Metrics

• GALAXY TYPE: Spiral (SAab)
• DISTANCE: ~17 million light-years