Messier 94 — Galaxy in Canes Venatici

M94 is a spiral galaxy located about 16 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is one of the nearest bright galaxies beyond the Local Group and is famous for its striking starburst ring — an intensely luminous ring of active star formation encircling the galaxy's nucleus at a radius of about 5,500 light-years. This ring gives M94 a distinctive 'bullseye' appearance in photographs. The galaxy also has an unusual two-component structure: a bright inner disk surrounded by a much fainter, enormous outer ring of stars and gas extending to about 45,000 light-years, which was initially mistaken for a faint outer disk. M94 is classified as type (R)SA(r)ab, indicating a ringed, unbarred spiral.

Located about 3 degrees north-northwest of the star Cor Caroli (Alpha Canum Venaticorum) and about 4 degrees southeast of Beta CVn. In binoculars, M94 appears as a bright, compact fuzzy spot. A 4-inch telescope at 80-100x shows a brilliant, almost starlike nucleus surrounded by a bright inner disk — the starburst ring contributes to the galaxy's pronounced central brightness. An 8-inch telescope reveals the contrast between the very bright core and the fainter outer disk. The outer ring structure requires long-exposure photography to appreciate fully. M94 has the highest surface brightness of many nearby galaxies, making it an easy and rewarding target. Best observed from March through July.

Discovered by Pierre Mechain on March 22, 1781, and cataloged by Charles Messier two days later on March 24, 1781. It was one of the last objects entered into the Messier catalog. The starburst ring was identified through ultraviolet observations in the late 20th century, which revealed an intense ring of young, hot stars surrounding the nucleus. M94 has been important in studies of galaxy structure, particularly regarding the nature of outer stellar disks and rings.