Black Eye Galaxy (M64)

Black Eye Galaxy (M64) — galaxy, shown live in Cosmoscope, a real-time 3D map of the universe.

A spiral with a great dark band of dust curled across its bright core — a swallowed companion left its inner and outer gas spinning in opposite directions, grinding out new stars where they meet.

Type
Spiral with a dust band (SA(rs)ab)
Distance
17 million light-years
Note
Inner gas spins backwards against the rest

Seeing Black Eye Galaxy (M64) in real time

Black Eye Galaxy (M64) is placed at its true position on the sky and at its real measured distance, not as a flat backdrop. Fly out from the Sun in the live 3D view and watch it change from a point of light into structure as you approach, with the scale bar showing just how far out you have travelled.

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