Messier 66

 Messier 66

Credits: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration; Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin and Robert Gendler

In 1780, Charles Messier discovered spiral galaxy M66 along with its neighbor M65, both of which belong to the Leo Triplet of galaxies. (The third member, NGC 3628, was discovered by William Herschel in 1784 and is not included in the Messier catalog). M66 is located 35 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo and has an apparent magnitude of 8.9. Best observed during April, M66 can be spotted with a small telescope.

Credits:  Image courtesy of Stellarium

This view highlights the fascinating anatomy of M66. Because the galaxies in the Leo Triplet interact with one another, each has an effect on its neighbors’ structures. M66 displays asymmetric spiral arms and a core that appears to be off center — features likely caused by the gravitational pull of the other two galaxies in the Leo Triplet.

Previous Object: Messier 65/\ Messier 67

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