How to photograph the Black Eye Galaxy (M64)
A bright spiral galaxy with a dark band of dust in front of its core.
Photo byJudy Schmidt(CC BY 2.0)
When to shoot it from your location
About the Black Eye Galaxy
M64 gets its name from the dark dust lane across its bright center. It is a compact spring galaxy that needs 800mm or more.
Gear and framing
The Black Eye Galaxy spans about 10′ of sky. It frames best with:
- Long focal length (800mm and up)
You can see how other people have built their rigs on RigDesigner, including my Sony a6700 and 60mm refractor rig.
Filters
This is a broadband target, which means its light is mostly starlight across the whole spectrum. Shoot it with no filter or a UV/IR cut filter. A broadband light pollution filter can help a little in the suburbs. Dual-band and narrowband filters block most of its light, so leave them off. Plan it for a moonless night at a dark site.
Tips
- Stretch the core gently so the dust lane stays visible.
Processing
Stack your light frames with darks and flats, then remove the background gradient before stretching. AstroBake does all of this for you. Point it at your folders of raw frames, then adjust the result with live sliders.