Messier 94
| Messier 94 | |
|---|---|
Galaxy Messier 94 in Canes Venatici | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Right ascension | 12h 50m 53.1s |
| Declination | +41° 07′ 14″ |
| Redshift | 0.001027±0.000005 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 308±1 km/s |
| Galactocentric velocity | 360±3 km/s |
| Distance | 16.0 ± 1.3 Mly (4.91 ± 0.40 Mpc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 8.2 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | (R)SA(r)ab, LINER |
| Apparent size (V) | 11.2 × 9.1 moa |
| Other designations | |
| NGC 4736, UGC 7996, PGC 43495 | |
Messier 94 (also known as NGC 4736, Cat's Eye Galaxy, Crocodile Eye Galaxy, or Croc's Eye Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy in the mid-northern constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781, and catalogued by Charles Messier two days later. Although some references describe M94 as a barred spiral galaxy, the "bar" structure appears to be more oval-shaped. The galaxy has two ring structures.