Galaxy · Spiral
Black Eye (M64)
Black Eye (M64) is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 17.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 17.3 million light-years (5.30 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 52,200 light-years · 0.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.32 |
| Luminosity | 0.58 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 56m 43.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 40′ 59″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.32); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 68° S. North of latitude 68° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 17 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 306.6 billion years.