Leo Triplets
Mar 7, 2021
Leo Triplets
| Other names | M65, M66 & NGC 3628, M66 Group, Arp 317 |
| Type | Galaxy Group |
| Distance | 35 million ly |
| Size | N/A |
| Location | Leo |
| Captured | Mar 7, 2021 |
| Capture type | Broadband |
| Total time | 7.6 hours |
| Frames | L 50x180', RGB 34x180' each |
| Telescope | Orion 6" Newt F/3.8 Astrograph |
| Camera | ZWO ASI294mm |
| Tripod | Orion Atlas EQ-G |
Leo Triplets M65, M66 & NGC 3628
The Leo Triplets! Took these photos on March but didn’t think I had enough data to turn anything out with so I didn’t process them. Turns out there was enough there to make something decent.
This is the Leo Triplet, a cluster of three galaxies in our cosmic neck of the woods. They’re all around 35 million light years away and are interacting with each other. They’re all spiral galaxies, even if they don’t look it from our perspective.
The individual galaxies are M65 (bottom right), M66 (bottom left) and NGC 3628 (top) also known as the Hamburger Galaxy. You can spot then January through July, but they’re best viewed in March.