M94

Object Type: Spiral Galaxy
Scope: C-9.25"; Exposure 80 minutes.

Messier 94 (NGC 4736) is a spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici, about 16 million light-years away, discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781. It is distinctive for its two ring structures: a bright inner ring, ~70 arcseconds across, that is an active 'starburst' ring of intense star formation, and a much fainter outer ring. The star formation is fed by gas driven inward by an oval, bar-like structure at the galaxy's center.