Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Leo (Leo)  ·  Contains:  M 65  ·  M 66  ·  NGC 3623  ·  NGC 3627  ·  NGC 3628
Leo Triplet, Astrodude11
Leo Triplet
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Leo Triplet

Leo Triplet, Astrodude11
Leo Triplet
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Leo Triplet

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Description

The Leo Triplet is a group of galaxies located in the constellation Leo, which is about 35 million light-years away from Earth.

M65 and M66 (bottom) are both spiral galaxies, while NGC 3628 (top) is seen almost edge-on from our point of view. These three galaxies are interacting with each other, which has caused them to distort each other's shapes and trigger star formation in some areas.

I was hoping to capture the tidal tail of NGC 3628, a stream of stars and gas that extends out from the galaxy due to the gravitational interactions, but I will need dark, moonless nights and longer exposure times.

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Leo Triplet, Astrodude11