Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices
Messier 64 gets its name from the large dark semi-circular dust band that surrounds the galaxy's nucleus. The bright central region and the dark band are quite easy to see with most telescopes. The galaxy is relatively close to us, at about 14 million light years, but it is not especially large. With an estimated size of about 48,000 light years, it is only half the diameter of our own Milky Way galaxy.
| Magnitude | 8.4 |
| Apparent Size | 9' x 5' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 14 million |
| Right Ascension | 12:56.7 |
| Declination | +21 41 |
| Field of View | 38' x 25' |
Image details: Exposure times of 60 minutes luminance, and 30 minutes each of red, green, and blue, taken with an SBIG ST-8300M imager and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/6.
April 2015