An unusual spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices. A prominent dust lane gives it the "black eye" appearance. This feature was possibly caused by a merger with another galaxy.
The "Black Eye Galaxy" (M64) in Coma Berenices
Date Taken:April 9, 2010
Location Taken: Conditions of Location:n/a
Equipment Used:14.5" Ritchey-Chretien telescope, SBIG STL11000 CCD camera, Astrodon RGB filters, TCC, PIR, remote guide head used with Takahashi Sky90 for autoguiding, T-Point used for polar alignment (required for each imaging session due to my portable setup).
Processing Used:10 x 300 seconds luminance, 7 x 200 seconds RGB, guided, 1x1 binning, processed in Maxim DL and Photoshop (total exposure 2 hours).
Distance from Location:19 million light years
Constellation:Coma Berenices ("Berenice's hair") named for Queen Berenices of Egypt who vowed to cut her hair if her husband returned safely from battle. He did return, and she cut her long, blonde hair and placed it in a temple as an offering to Aphrodite. The next day it was missing. Aphrodite having been so pleased with it that she placed it in the sky.
Other Link: