Galaxy M 63

Galaxy M63, the "Sunflower Galaxy," in the constellation Canes Venatici. It can be spotted with binoculars along the line from α Canum Venaticorum to η Ursae Majoris (the star at the end of the handle of the "Big Dipper"), about one-third of the way between the stars. A more precise guide is the compact group of stars around 20 CVn (magnitude 4.7)—the galaxy is located 1.5 degrees to the north. The best time for observation in our region is from late winter through late spring. In binoculars, the galaxy is visible at the limit of detection as a faint, slightly elongated smudge. In a telescope with an aperture of 200–300 mm, the galaxy appears as a bright ellipse with an almost stellar nucleus and a faintly glowing halo, but the spiral structure is not discernible even with more powerful telescopes. A fairly bright foreground star (magnitude 9) is projected onto the western edge of the halo. A supernova, SN 1971I, erupted in this galaxy. Its peak apparent magnitude reached 11.5.