An abrasive collision gives one galaxy a "black eye"
A collision of two galaxies has left a merged star system with an unusual appearance as well as bizarre internal motions. Messier 64 (M64) has a spectacular dark band of absorbing dust in front of the galaxy's bright nucleus, giving rise to its nicknames of the "Black Eye" or "Evil Eye" galaxy.
Fine details of the dark band are revealed in this image of the central portion of M64 obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. M64 is well known among amateur astronomers because of its appearance in small telescopes. It was first cataloged in the 18th century by the French astronomer Messier. Located in the northern constellation Coma Berenices, M64 resides roughly 17 million light-years from Earth.
Credit:About the Image
About the Object
Name: | Black Eye Galaxy, Messier 64 |
Type: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral |
Distance: | 18 million light years |
Constellation: | Coma Berenices |
Category: | Galaxies |
Wallpapers
Coordinates
Position (RA): | 12 56 43.34 |
Position (Dec): | 21° 41' 2.35" |
Field of view: | 1.49 x 1.77 arcminutes |
Orientation: | North is 155.4° right of vertical |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Optical B | 450 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Optical V | 547 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Optical H-alpha | 656 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Infrared I | 814 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |