Black Eye (Pea) Galaxy

 

Image Acquired at the Bareket Internet Telescope
Summary Author: Ido Beckett

The image above showing ruddy the Black Eye (Pea) Galaxy (Messier object M64) was captured on August 29, 2009 from the Bareket Internet Telescope in Israel. It was taken using a combination of luminance, red, green, and blue light. This relatively close showy, spiral galaxy (about 17 million light years distant or 5.2 megaparsecs) is located in the Coma Berenices constellation. The noticeable, dark blotch below the bright nucleus is thought to be an enormous dusty region where star formation is occurring. M64 is also referred to as the “Sleeping Beauty Galaxy.”

On this special night of viewing, nebulae, star clusters, planets, and asteroids were imaged in real-time using Bareket Observatory's remote educational telescope system. Mr. Marty Quinn, at Design Rhythmics Sonification Research Laboratory, applied sonification parameters to images in the Bareket Observatory Deep Space Images Webcast so those who are blind were able to perceive the images as music.

Imaging details: Remote controlled Internet telescope; 14" S.cass Celestron C14 f/8.7; Paramount ME robotic mount; and a cooled SBIG ST8XE CCD camera. Location (J2000): R.A. 12h 56m 43s.88; Dec. +21° 41' 00".1