M 63 (the "sunflower galaxy") is 37 million light years from earth. Unlike some other
spiral galaxies, M 63 does not have only a few well-defined arms, but rather crowded,
fragmented and patchy arms, along which one can see many star-forming regions. Galaxies
with this kind of structure are called flocculent ("wooly")galaxies.

Image data:
Camera and exposure: L = DSI Pro, 30 sec x 90; RGB = DSI, 42 sec x 40
Telescope: 10" Schmidt-Newtonian