Galaxies
Messier 65 & Messier 66
Messier 65 and Messier 66, two spiral galaxies of the Leo Triplet, photographed by Pete Lawrence.
Target details
Messier 65 (NGC 3623, on the right of the image) and Messier 66 (NGC 3627, on the left) are two spiral galaxies in Leo, about 35 and 36 million light-years away. With NGC 3628 they make up the Leo Triplet. M65 has little dust or gas and forms few new stars, so old stars dominate, although its arms have seen some recent star formation. M66 is about 95,000 light-years across, with striking dust lanes and bright star clusters along its arms, and four supernovae had been seen in it by 2015.
Capture details
Data captured 1st January, 2017.
36x 6 minute exposures at ISO800.
Equipment details
Orion Europa 200
NEQ6 Pro
Nikon d7100
Skywatcher ST-80
QHY5L-II
Processing details
This image was processed in Pixinsight & Lightroom.
Quick facts
- What is Messier 65 & Messier 66?
- Messier 65 (NGC 3623, on the right of the image) and Messier 66 (NGC 3627, on the left) are two spiral galaxies in Leo, about 35 and 36 million light-years away. With NGC 3628 they make up the Leo Triplet.
- Where is it in the sky?
- In the constellation Leo.
- What are its catalogue names?
- M65, M66, NGC 3623, NGC 3627, NGC 3628
- When was this photo taken?
- 1 January 2017
- What equipment was used?
- Orion Europa 200, NEQ6 Pro, Nikon d7100, Skywatcher ST-80, QHY5L-II
- Where was it taken from?
- Lisburn, Northern Ireland.