Messier 63 - Sunflower Galaxy

The Sunflower Galaxy has such an interesting structure, it was a no-brainer when I had the opportunity to shoot it during “Galaxy Season” in the spring of 2022. The lanes of dust combined with the newly-formed stars create the effect of a textured surface, reminiscent of a flower—maybe a sunflower?

The galaxy is in the same group, the M51 Group, as another of my favorite galaxies, Messier 51, the Whirlpool Galaxy. You can see a picture of it on this site as well here.