Celestial Objects

Phantom Galaxy

Galaxies

Citation Formats

General Reference

Space and Astronomy Atlas. "Phantom Galaxy." Accessed September 2, 2026. https://space.interactiveatlas.org/celestial-objects/messier-74.

APA Style

Space and Astronomy Atlas. (n.d.). Phantom Galaxy. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://space.interactiveatlas.org/celestial-objects/messier-74

BibTeX

@misc{spaceandastronomyatlas-phantom-galaxy,
  author = {Space and Astronomy Atlas},
  title = {Phantom Galaxy},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://space.interactiveatlas.org/celestial-objects/messier-74},
  note = {Accessed September 2, 2026}
}

The Phantom Galaxy, catalogued as Messier 74, is a large spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces, about 32 million light-years from Earth, containing two clearly defined spiral arms that make it an archetypal grand design spiral galaxy. Its low surface brightness makes it the hardest Messier object for amateur astronomers to see, yet that same face-on orientation and large angular size make it an ideal target for professional study of spiral arm structure; the galaxy is estimated to host about 100 billion stars.

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