Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Leo (Leo)  ·  Contains:  Leo Triplet  ·  M 65  ·  NGC 3623  ·  PGC 1422720
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M65, Denis Janky
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M65

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M65, Denis Janky
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M65

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Description

M65

M65 (also catalogued as NGC3623) is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Leo.  It is classified as an intermediate spiral galaxy, which means its core structure falls somewhere between barred and unbarred.  The existence of a central bar is uncertain because the galaxy’s oblique orientation makes confirmation difficult.   

M65 and M66 were discovered by Charles Messier in 1780, and along with NGC3628, these form the famous Leo Triplet of galaxies.  These galaxies are gravitationally interacting, which causes structural distortions, although M65 appears to be the least disturbed member of the trio.M65 is located approximately 35 million light years from Earth.  It is approximately 100,000 light years in diameter and is estimated to contain some 200 billion stars, which puts it on par with our Milky Way galaxy.  There is only a small amount of new star formation occurring within the arms and this appears to be a relatively recent occurrence stemming from external gravitational disturbance.  Aside from this, the dominant yellow hue of the galaxy suggests it is composed of mostly older stars.

M65 is easily seen visually through most small telescopes, and depending on the field of view, it may be possible to see all three members of the Leo Triplet in the same field.

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M65, Denis Janky