Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Leo (Leo)  ·  Contains:  M 65  ·  M 66  ·  NGC 3623  ·  NGC 3627  ·  NGC 3628
The Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC3628), Janith Perera
The Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC3628)
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The Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC3628)

The Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC3628), Janith Perera
The Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC3628)
Powered byPixInsight

The Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC3628)

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Description

This iconic trio of spiral galaxies are favoured by both visual observers and astrophotographers alike. The edge on galaxy NGC3628 (top) is also known as 'the Hamburger Galaxy' due to it's appearance (the dark dust lane being the 'meat'). The gravitational interaction between these galaxies can be seen in this image in the form of distortions. NGC3628 has a warped, inflated disk while M66 (bottom) shows drawn out spiral arms (looks like faint streams in this image). NGC 3628 also has a tidal tail, but more integration time is needed to bring this out. The galaxy group is estimated to be 30 million light years away.

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The Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC3628), Janith Perera

In these public groups

William Optics ZenithStar Z61/Z81