Black Eye Galaxy

spiral galaxy · M64 · in Coma Berenices

14.4 million light-years from Earth

A dark band of dust sweeps across one side of its bright centre, like a black eye. Its outer gas turns the opposite way to its inner gas and stars, probably a sign that it took in gas from a small galaxy long ago.

• 14 million light-years · about 43,000 light-years across
• its outer gas turns the other way round

kind

galaxy

catalogue

M64 · NGC 4826

size

43,000 light-years across