Phantom Galaxy (M74) — galaxy, shown live in Cosmoscope, a real-time 3D map of the universe.
A faint, flawless two-armed spiral seen face-on — so symmetric it is the poster child for grand-design structure, its arms threaded with delicate filaments of dust.
Phantom Galaxy (M74) 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.