M64: The Black Eye Galaxy
This image shows Messier 64, the Black Eye Galaxy. M64 is in Coma Bernices, around 17 million light-years away. The bright red central area of the galaxy is as such because of the existence of hydrogen dust clouds which are known for being star-forming. It is thought that The Black Eye is the result of a merging of two completely different galaxies, shown by the existence of two rotating star systems which seem to have collided since they rotate in opposite directions.
