Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Leo (Leo)  ·  Contains:  M 65  ·  M 66  ·  NGC 3623  ·  NGC 3627
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M65 and M66 the Leo 'duet', Tom Gray
M65 and M66 the Leo 'duet'
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M65 and M66 the Leo 'duet'

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Description

M65 and M66 in Leo make a fine pair. Usually imaged with NGC 3628 as a trio, but not on the tiny chip in my Meade DSI IIC camera. Nevertheless I'm very pleased with the result, and my homemade autoguider, which kept on target for these 10min subs.

M66 is strangely irregular as a result of gravitational interactions with NGC 3628, tearing away material from one side of this spiral galaxy. The scale and forces at play in the universe are extraordinary, and it is a privilege to be able to observe these even if they occurred more than 31 million years ago!

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