Leo Triplet
Designation: M66 Group (Singularly M65 – M66 – NGC 3628)
Hemisphere: Northern
Constellation: Leo
Distance: 35 million light years
Object type: Cluster of galaxies
Description
The Leo Triplet is a group of three galaxies found in the constellation Leo, approx. 35 million light years away. The galaxy cluster consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628 (also known as the Hamburger Galaxy).
The three galaxies are tilted at different angles when seen from Earth. NGC 3628 appears edge-on with dark dust lanes that obscure the bright core of the galaxy whereas M65 and M66 are inclined enough to reveal their stunning spiral arms.
In this image I also captured some small, faint galaxies such as the spiral galaxy IC 2695, which is 343 million light years away, and the elliptical galaxy IC 2722, which lies about 947 million light years away! Click on the below image to see all designations.
Equipment
Mount: Celestron Evolution
Main Telescope: William Optics ZS73EDii
Main camera: ZWO ASI183MC-Pro
Main camera filter: Optolong L-Pro
Acquisition details
Total integration time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Acquisition: SharpCap Pro
Processing: APP – PixInsight
Location: Luxembourg
The Lonely Photon 