|
Date: Feb. 16-17-18, 2025 - Location: Dark Sky Observatory, Fort Davis, Texas Telescope: 16 inch RC - Camera: FLI 16803 Exposure: Lum = 12x10 min. - Red, Green, Blue = 9x10 min. each Click on the image to view at higher resolution. |
|
Discovered 1780 by Charles Messier[1]. Located in the constellation Leo the Lion[1,2] Messier 66 (M66, NGC 3627) along with its close neighboring galaxies, M65 and NGC 3628, are known as the Leo Triplett[1,2]. These galaxies are approximately 35 million light years distant[2]. As can be seen in the image above, M66's spiral structure has been distorted by the gravitational interaction between itself and its neighboring galaxies[3]. The galaxy's past gravitation interactions has resulted in an extremely high central mass concentration along with asymmetrical distortion of the spiral arm structure[3]. M66 is an impressive celestial object. It spans a distance of approximately 100,000 light-yeas[2]. The galaxy is currently receding from Earth with a heliocentric velocity of almost 700 km/s[1]
Member of the Dark Sky Observatory Collaborative
References
|
