Using a refractor telescope with a diameter of 120 mm (4.7") and a monochrome astronomical camera, I captured the image of this stunning and unusual galaxy. The spiral galaxy M66 in the constellation Leo boasts three fascinating features.

(1) The image shows that the spiral arms of the galaxy are curved and distorted above the galactic plane. Astronomers believe that the galaxy was once normal but was transformed when it had a close interaction with two nearby galaxies, NGC3628 and M65, around 900 million years ago. Despite being the weakest of the four fundamental forces, the gravitational pull of over a trillion stars caused enormous deformations in the M66 spiral arms.

(2) The M66 galaxy has had five observable supernova explosions in the last fifty years. These explosions occur when stars violently explode at the end of their life, releasing massive amounts of energy. A typical supernova is billions of times brighter than our Sun. Normally, in a galaxy similar in size to our Milky Way, astronomers observe two to three supernova explosions per century.

(3) As a result of the gravitational interaction with neighboring galaxies, the core of the M66 galaxy has undergone a transformation, becoming more dense, massive and luminous. Moreover, it appears to be slightly displaced. The M66 galaxy core exhibits characteristics similar to Seyfert galaxies, which are galaxies with active galactic nuclei that emit intense electromagnetic radiation, resembling quasars. However, the emission of Seyfert galaxies is much weaker than that of quasars. The massive black hole at the center of the M66 galaxy creates an accretion disk with a flattened circular/elliptical structure, resembling a pancake. Matter in the accretion disk rotates rapidly around the black hole, and the resulting gravitational and frictional forces heat up the material, resulting in intense electromagnetic radiation of various wavelengths.

The M66 galaxy has a large diameter of approximately 100,000 light-years. However, because it is located 35 million light-years away, it appears as a small object in the sky with an angular size of only 0.15° x 0.07°, which is about 25 times smaller than the angular size of our Moon. The galaxy can be observed even with a small telescope or binoculars, but the true beauty of galaxies is revealed in photographs taken with medium to large telescopes. Regions where new stars are actively forming display shades of dark red, bright blue, and even pink.

Equipment and acquisition details:

Spiral Galaxy M66 in LRGB_Ha • Telescope Sky Watcher Esprit 120ED APO @ f/7 • Monochrome camera QHY268M cooled at -15 °C, mode 1, gain 56, offset 20 • Mount Sky Watcher AZ-EQ6 PRO • Total exposure time 12 h 33 min (L 64 x 140 s, R 32 x 140 s, G 32 x 140 s, B 34 x 140 s, Ha: 25 x 900 s) • Processed in PixInsight • March 2023, Vurmat / Radlje ob Dravi / Slovenija

Sources: [1] NASA, Hubble’s Messier Catalog, [2] Messier 66 (Wikipedia), [3] Messier 66 (Messier Objects)