Messier 64 – The Black Eye Galaxy

Messier 64 (M64) is a galaxy in Coma Berenices comprising primarily intermediate-aged stars, which gives it a blueish hue. It gets its common name from the dark dust ring near its core.

Its distance, and therefore its size, are uncertain. Some sources say it’s 17 million light years away, while others estimate it to be as far away as 24 million light years. This puts its size at between 53,000 and 70,000 light years in diameter. Its population is estimated at 100 billion stars.

It’s unusual in that it contains two disks that are rotating in opposite directions—likely the result of merging with another galaxy in the last billion years or so. This caused a surge in star formation, which accounts for the presence of so many stars of intermediate age.