Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  M 94  ·  NGC 4736
M94 "Cats Eye" Galaxy, Ed Albin
M94 "Cats Eye" Galaxy
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M94 "Cats Eye" Galaxy

M94 "Cats Eye" Galaxy, Ed Albin
M94 "Cats Eye" Galaxy
Powered byPixInsight

M94 "Cats Eye" Galaxy

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Description

Found within the constellation of Canes Venatici and more than 15 million light years from Earth is the unusual M94 galaxy. Astronomers have dubbed this deep sky object as the "cat's eye galaxy" for its appearance. The galaxy has an ancient rind of older stars surrounding an inner region active in star formation, with blue reflection and bright red emission nebulas providing lively color. On March 18th, 1787, Sir William Herschel described his observations of M94: “Very brilliant, a large, luminous nucleus of more than 20″ diameter with faint chevalure and branches extending 6 or 8′.” To this day, Herschel's description fittingly characterizes the galaxy.

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M94 "Cats Eye" Galaxy, Ed Albin

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