M 64 has been known for a couple of centuries as "The Black Eye"
galaxy. The most striking feature of this spiral galaxy is the
lane of dark, obscuring material that stretches across the face
of this galaxy. Recent studies have revealed another strange feature
of M 64: the inner portion of the galaxy rotates in the opposite
direction of the outer portions! This strange rotational mix, plus
the dark lane, probably are the result of a smaller companion galaxy
which has been drawn into M 64, but has not been completely absorbed yet.
M 64 is about 19 million light years from earth, and 51,000 light
years across. It can be found in the constellation Coma Berenices.

Image Data:
Camera: SBIG ST-4000XCM
Exposure: 10 minutes x 17
Telescope: 10" Schmidt-Newtonian, Baader MPCC