Space and Astronomy Atlas

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Celestial Objects

Black Eye Galaxy

Galaxies

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The Black Eye Galaxy, catalogued as Messier 64, is a relatively isolated spiral galaxy about 17 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by Edward Pigott in March 1779 and independently by Johann Elert Bode the following month and by Charles Messier the year after. A dark band of absorbing dust lying partly across its bright nucleus gives the galaxy its popular names, the Black Eye, the Evil Eye, or the Sleeping Beauty galaxy, and its striking appearance makes it a well-known target for amateur telescopes.

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