Close-up: Spiral Galaxy Messier 77 in Cetus (2025 version) | Hubble Space Telescope FriendsofNASA.org: Today’s rather aquatic-themed NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture features the spiral galaxy Messier 77, also known as the Squid Galaxy. It sits 45 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus (The Whale). The designation Messier 77 comes from the galaxy’s place in the famous catalog compiled by the French astronomer Charles Messier. Another French astronomer, Pierr