Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Coma Berenices (Com)  ·  Contains:  Black-eye galaxy  ·  M 64  ·  NGC 4826
M64 Blackeye Galaxy, Bob
M64 Blackeye Galaxy
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M64 Blackeye Galaxy

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Description

M64 is a spiral galaxy, though its spiral arms do not appear very pronounced. M64 happens to have an inclination angle of approximately 63 degrees.

Two things make M64 different from many other galaxies. Many have observed the inner part is spinning in the opposite direction as the outer (this is very rare). This counter-rotation could be the cause for much of the star formation which is taking place near the core.

Secondly, it has a dark dust cloud obscuring a large region near the core, from which it gets the name "Blackeye Galaxy." Both the unusual rotation and apparent black eye have been attributed to a collision with another galaxy.

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M64 Blackeye Galaxy, Bob