M64 is a very
unusual-looking spiral galaxy located in the constellation of
Coma Berenices. This is the famous Blackeye galaxy. It has also
been called the Sleeping Beauty galaxy. The name Blackeye comes
from a dark dust lane that obscures the light near the center of
this galaxy. This dust lane is believed to be a site of active
star formation. This dust lane is visible even in small
telescopes. The distance of this galaxy is not very well known,
but best guesses place it at around 20 million light-years from
Earth. At magnitude 8.5, the Blackeye can be located on a good
night with a pair of binoculars. A large telescope is required
to see any real amount of detail in this galaxy.
