The Cat's Eye Galaxy, known as M94, is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. The galaxy, which has a distinctive double set of rings is about 5,400 light-years away and the diameter of the outer rings is nearly 45,000 light years. The galaxy was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 and catalogued by Charles Messier two days later. Mechain and Messier were friends and colleagues doing their best work in Paris in the 1770s and 1780s. At the same time, Benjamin Franklin was cavorting and partying around France as a representative of the U.S. Government. Franklin was a fixture in the scientific and social circles of Paris, and, according to correspondence in Franklin's records, dined with Messier and others on April 12, 1779 (https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-29-02-0241). It's always interesting to see how the work of these early astronomers fits within the context of world history.