View allAll Photos Tagged M66
M65 and M66 are two spiral galaxies in the Leo constellation, around 31 and 35 million light years from earth respectively.
If you look closely, the spiral arms of M66 (the bottom left galaxy) appear to be slighty displaced/lobsided compared to the overall disk. So why is that?
While it's difficult to be 100% certain (we can't exactly roll back time), what likely happened is that M66 had violent gravitational interaction with its two neighbour galaxies (there's one more a bit out of frame) around 800 million to a billion years ago. As the galaxies got closer and closer together, they quite literally tore each other apart to an extent before finally drifting off to their current positions. The lobsided spiral arms of M66 are a result of this interaction.
Image acquisition details:
9x900" HA
22x900" Luminance
12x900" Red
12x900" Green
12x900" Blue
M65 on the left is at a distance of 41 million light years and M66 on the right is slightly closer at a distance of 35 million light years.
Canon EOS 60D Ha Modified @ ISO 1600.
80x30 sec unguided subs with calibration frames added.
Celestron C11 at f6.3.
Tracked on a Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 mount.
Imaged from suburbia.
Processed in APP and finished off in LR.
NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy is an unbarred spiral galaxy about 35 million light years away in the constellation of Leo. It is part of the Leo triplet, which is a small group of galaxies including M65 and M66.
Towards the upper middle of this image you can see a faint tidal tail - This is approximately 300,000 light years in length.
The galaxy was first discovered by William Herschel in 1784.
Details
M: Mesu 200
T: TMB 152/1200
C: QSI690 Chroma RGB, IDAS LP for luminance
102x1200s Luminance
​75x300s in Red, Green and Blue
​Totalling 52 hours and 45 minutes in exposure time.
M65, M66, and NGC 3628 (commonly referred to as the Leo Triplet) is a group of galaxies in the Leo constellation, around 35 million light years from earth.
Image acquisition details:
110x120" Luminance
100x120" Red
100x120" Green
95x120" Blue
Object: Leo Triplet (M66 Group)
The Leo Triplet or the M66 Group is a small group of galaxies approximately 35 million light-years away and located in the constellation of Leo. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66(NGC3627), and NGC3628 (The Hamburger Galaxy or Sarah’s Galaxy) .
-Acquisition Date: 2/22/2020 – 03/01/2020
-Location: Western Massachusetts
-Camera: FLI ML1620 @ -25°C
-Telescope: Astro-TECH AT130 with APM Riccardi APO Flattener 1.0x
-Mount: Astro-Physics AP1100
-Guide scope: Celestron Off Axis Guider
-Guide Camera: ASI174 mini
Filters:
Astrodon Gen II E Filters
Luminance: 72 x 120sec (144 min)
Red: 81 x 120sec (162 min)
Green: 72 x 120sec (144 min)
Blue: 78 x 120sec (156 min)
Total Exposure:606 min. (10.1hr)
Limiting Magnitude: 5.1
Processed in Pixinsight 1.8.8-5 and Adobe PS5
The three galaxies M65 (top right), M66 (bottom right) and NGC 3628 (left) comprise the famous Leo Triplet in the zodiacal constellation Leo.
M65 is a highly inclined spiral galaxy with a prominent dust lane extending across its disk, visible through moderate-sized telescopes. M66 is a spiral galaxy with two bright arms which loop outward from the nucleus. Its spiral arms are deformed and distorted, probably due to gravitational interactions with its neighbors.
The 10th magnitude spiral galaxy NGC 3628 is a galaxy seen edge-on. It is about 100,000 light years across and the strong gravitational interactions with its neighbors are likely responsible for the warp of its spiral disk. Prominent dark dust lanes bisect its puffy galactic disk and give this magnificent galaxy the nick-name "Hamburger galaxy". Long exposure photos with big telescopes reveal a giant tidal tail that stretches about 300,000 light years.
The estimated distance of the three galaxies is about 35 million light years.
M65 and M66 were discovered by Charles Messier in 1780. NGC 3628 was discovered by William Herschel in 1784.
Image Details:
Telescope: Orion EON ED 80/500 refractor
Mount: Modified Vixen Sphinx (NexSXW)
Camera: Canon EOS 20Da
Light frames: 8 x 3 mins (total: 24 mins), ISO 1600, Daylight WB, no filter
Calibration frames: Darks
Guiding: Skywatcher 80/400 refractor, Synguider autoguider
Date & Location: 14/3/2018 - Chalkidiki, Greece
Processing: DSS 4.1.1, Adobe Photoshop CS6
DESCRIPTION: The Leo Triplet, M65, M66, NGC3628, constellation Leo. RA (center) 11h 20 min, DEC 13° 15’, FOV approx 1,9°x 1,3°.
GEAR: Nikon Z7 Kolari Full Spectrum + Nikkor 500/5,6 PF, Astronomic UV/IR/L2 Clip in filter, Astroklar light pollution filter, Dew heater strip, tracking mount iOptron CEM60EC
ACQUISITION: march 22, 2022, Struz, CZ, Subexposure 180s, f 5,6, ISO 1600, Interval 15 s, RAW-L, Lights 21x, Darks 20x, Bias 20x, Flats 20x, DarkFlats 15x. Total exposure time 63 min. Night, breeze, 3° C, no Moon, Backyard - Light pollution - Bortle 5.
STACKING AND POST PROCESSING: AstroPixelProcessor (stacking, background neutralisation, light pollution removal, calibrate background and stars colours), Adobe Photoshop CC 2022 (stretching, black and white point settings, star reduction, enhance DSO, deep space noise reduction, contrast setting and sharpening). Cropped 4,7x, image size 3840 x 2560 px.
This barn is quite striking in it's ruined splendor sitting alongside M-66 in Michigan's Osceola County. It doesn't get a lot of love however.
Just to the south and on the other side of the road, stands an old round barn, which can be seen here.
This barn, however, is also available on my website artistnaturalist.com
winter season is over, now it is galaxy time. in anticipation of my new telescope i ordered i tried my best on M65, M66 and NGC 3628, better known as Leo Triplet. as soon as i made myself familiar with the new scope (btw a Skywatcher 200 PDS newtonian) i will try this DSO again with a little more focal length :)
Cam: Canon 50Da
Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit ED80
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5Pro
Guiding: 50/180 guiding scope with ToupTek cam and PHD2
60x180sec RGB @ISO1000
fully calibrated
stack in APP, edit in PS
shot under a bortle 5+ sky at a 58% waning moon
Galaxiengruppe M 65, M 66 und NGC 3628 im Sternbild Großer Löwe.
Belichtung: a 64 x 90 sec
Belichtungszeit: 1h 36min
ISO: 400
Teleskop: Omegon 94/517
Montierung: iOptron CEM 26
ohne Guiding
Kamera: Nikon D780 Astro
The Leo Triplet, known as the M66 Group, is located in the constellation of Leo. They are around 35 million light years distant. The galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65(bottom left), M66(top left), and NGC 3628.
EQ6-R-PRO
150mm Esprit with dedicated corrector
QHY294PROM Gain 1600 Offset 30 -20C
Baader 2" LRGB filter set
90 x 120sec Luminance
10 x 240sec each channel RGB.
Darks and Flats
Acquisition time 5hrs
Processed using Straton Star Removal, Pixinsight and Photoshop.
ASI 294 MC PRO.
72 ED Skywatcher con reductor/aplanador 0.85.
Star Adventurer.
Guiado Asi 120mm Mini.
Ganancia 123/ 30 offset/ -10ºc
41x300s
L-Pro
Bortle 8.
PixInsight, Topaz Denoise AI.
Mount: Losmandy G11
Imaging Camera: Canon 6D (stock)
OTA: Celestron C11 @ f6
Guiding: None
Total Integration: 23min (30 subs, ISO 6400, 45secs each)
Calibration Frames: Dark: 10, Bias: 10
Both the farm this round barn is on, and the painting, are for sale. I wish I had the money to buy the property! If you are interested in purchasing this piece, go to my shop page:
artistnaturalist.com/product/round-barn-on-the-market/
If you would like to learn more about round barns, read my blog at
M65 - M66 - NGC 3628: Leo Triplet
Optics: Skyrover 130SA 130mm f/5 Refractor
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MM Pro
Blue: 42x300 sec
Green: 39x300 sec
Lum: 58x300 sec
Red: 42x300 sec
starbase.insightobservatory.com/home
nova.astrometry.net/user_images/11726687#annotated
Calibration
Center (RA, Dec):(169.427, 13.151)
Center (RA, hms):11h 17m 42.536s
Center (Dec, dms):+13° 09' 04.980"
Size:1.91 x 1.56 deg
Radius:1.233 deg
Pixel scale:1.19 arcsec/pixel
Tags:
The star n Leo
73 Leo
NGC 3593
NGC 3623
M 65
NGC 3627
M 66
NGC 3628
NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy or Sarah's Galaxy, is an unbarred spiral galaxy about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1784. It has an approximately 300,000 light-years long tidal tail. Along with M65 and M66, NGC 3628 forms the Leo Triplet, a small group of galaxies. Its most conspicuous feature is the broad and obscuring band of dust located along the outer edge of its spiral arms, effectively transecting the galaxy to the view from Earth.
Due to the presence of an x-shaped bulge, visible in multiple wavelengths, it has been argued that NGC 3628 is instead a barred spiral galaxy with the bar seen end-on. Simulations have shown that bars often form in disk galaxies during interactions and mergers, and NGC 3628 is known to be interacting with its two large neighbors.Ngc 3628 Hamburger
12 "Truss RC telescope reduced to 1790
Moravian off-axis guider and Moravian G0300 guide camera
Celestron 80/600 guide tube with Asi Zwo 224
Moravian G2 8300 camera with internal wheel
Ioptron Cem120 mount
Moonlite focuser and 3.5 "electronic rotator
Electronic temperature control and anti-condensation bands
Cls ccd, R, G, B, Ha 6nm filters, all Astronomik
Shooting data:
101x240s Cls CCD
15x600s Ha
31x240s R
31x240s G
31x240s B
Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop, star spikes, astronomy tools
Leo Triplet galaxies (M65, M66 & NGC3628)
L-RGB
Bin1x1 L:2h36mn, Bin2x2 R:21mn, G:30mn & B:18mm exposure time
200/1000 mm Newton telescope
Camera ZWO ASI1600MM Pro
Preprocessing with SIRIL
Image processing with Photoshop
Final touch with Lightroom
"The Leo Triplet, or the M66 Group, is a group of interacting spiral galaxies located in the northern constellation Leo. The group consists of the galaxies Messier 65, Messier 66 and NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy. The Leo Triplet lies at an approximate distance of 35 million light years from Earth."
Askar 120APO: 840mm f/7
ZWO ASI533MC Cooled Color Camera at -20C
Guided on ZWO AM5
51x180s with UV/IR cut filter
Processed with PixInsight, Ps
Newly outshopped in Trainload Metals two tone grey 37109 hammering up to the bridge across the M66 motorway at Waterfold with the 11.05 Rawtenstall - Heywood. Saturday 13 May 2023. Pole Shot.
ASI 294 MC PRO.
72 ED Skywatcher con reductor/aplanador 0.85.
Star Adventurer.
Guiado Asi 120mm Mini.
Ganancia 123/ 30 offset/ -10ºc
41x300s
L-Pro
Bortle 8.
PixInsight, Topaz Denoise AI.
Last quick pass of the night. A trio of galaxies... M65, M66, and NGC3628. Just an hour of data.... needs about 3-4 hours.
NGC3628 is also known as the Hamburger Galaxy and is located in the constellation of Leo about 35 million light years away. Along with M65 and M66 it forms a part of the famous Leo Triplet. It is about 100,000 light years across and has a faint tidal tail about 300,000 light years long, a small portion of which can be seen starting from the upper left corner of the galaxy and extending to the left edge of the screen. it has a prominent dust lane bisecting the main body of the galaxy.
Leo Triplet M66-M65-NGC3628 - Galaxies - Constellation Leo The Leo Triplet is composed of the spiral galaxies M66, M65 and NGC3628, they are in interaction with each other and a neutral hydrogen halo connects them, a sign of a close encounter that took place 800 million years ago. The triplet is about 35 million light years from us and is located in the constellation Leo. M66 the largest and brightest of the complex is also known as NGC3627 was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780. Quite easy to locate halfway between the stars θ Leonis and ι Leonis. In order to appreciate some of its details, it is necessary to have a telescope with an aperture of at least 150mm. Visible from both hemispheres, the best period for its observation is between February and August. M65 also known as NGC3623 was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 at the same time as M66, Charles Messier described it as a very faint and starless nebula. 22 million light years away from us, it is estimated to have a diameter of about 70,000 light years and a mass equal to 85 billion solar masses. NGC3628 third component of the triplet is less luminous than the others, but very extensive, crossed in its length by a long luminous band, it is about 35 million light years from us, it was discovered in 1784 by William Herschel.
Le fameux trio du Lion au Quattro 20-800. 19 poses de 180s. Siril et Nina. Seccion écourtée cause brouillard.
Bright sunshine bursts through after heavy rain on the M66 motorway at Bury, UK.
Un soleil éclatant éclate après de fortes pluies sur l'autoroute M66 à Bury, au Royaume-Uni.
Strahlender Sonnenschein bricht nach starkem Regen auf der Autobahn M66 in Bury, Großbritannien, durch.
Imaged during the night of the 3-4 March this is an image of the galaxy triplet in the constellation of Leo.
Two of the galaxies were catalogued by Charles Messier, M66 (top left) and M65 (bottom left). The third galaxy (right) is found in the NGC Catalogue as NGC 3628.
NGC 3628 is popularly known as the "Hamburger Galaxy" due to its edge on appearance to us said to resemble a Hamburger.....!
Lying at a distance of 35 million light-years from us they are a true group of interacting systems.
Our viewpoint means we see the three galaxies at different angles. NGC appears edge-on - displaying lots of dust and a prominent dust lane.
M65 & M66 are inclined enough so that their spiral arms are visible.
The three systems are very different in character.
M66 is a barred and shows a high rate of star formation with numerous tell-tale red/pink areas of glowing hydrogen gas. Its spiral arms are also deformed, indicative of interactive gravitational forces within the group.
M65 is an intermediate spiral and is poor in dust and star formation. It appears the least affected by interaction showing a more or less classical spiral shape.
NGC3628 is an unbarred spiral which we see edge on. The galaxy is transacted by a broad band of dust which stretches along its outer edge hiding young stars in the galaxy arms.
Imaged with an Esprit 120ED with flattener and a cooled ZWO 2600MC camera.
Thanks for looking!
I tested my new Optolong L Pro filter 77 mm with 70-200/2,8 lens. This photo is only 1 shot - 300 s taken by Nikon Z7, f 2,8, ISO 1600, cropped 15x, FOV 2,7 x 1,8 ang.deg. I could not take more shots because bad weather. I think the result is not bad. Next time I will take more shots including darks, bias and flats. Precessed in Adobe PS + Astronomic tools. Taken on April 22, 2020.
The Leo Triplet (also known as the M66 Group) is a small group of galaxies about 35 million light-years away[5] in the constellation Leo. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628.
Le triplet du Lion (aussi appelé le groupe de M66) est un petit groupe de galaxies1 situé à environ 35 millions d'années-lumière dans le constellation du Lion. Cet amas regroupe les galaxies spirales M65, M66, et NGC 3628 , communément appelée "la galaxie du Hamburger".
(source wikipedia)
Détails techniques d'acquisition:
CFF 200/1300 APO
Camera Player One Zeus pro M
Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 2": 65×300″(3h′)
Antlia Blue 2": 69×300″(4h 45′)
Antlia Green 2": 72×300″(6h15)
Antlia Luminance 2": 26×300″(2h )
Antlia Red 2": 66×300″(4h 30′)
Integration:
16h 30′
The Leo Triplet is a small group of galaxies about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628.
Captured by David Wills at PixelSkies, Castillejar, Spain www.pixelskiesastro.com
Lum 83 x 600s
Red 49 x 180s
Green 53 x 180s
Blue 49 x 180s
21 Hours 23 mins in total.
Equipment used:
Telescope: Takahashi Baby Q FSQ-85ED F5.3
Camera: Xpress Trius SX-694 Pro Mono Cooled to -20C
Image Scale: 2.08
Guiding: OAG
Filters: Astronomik Lum,Red,Green,Blue
Mount: iOptron CEM60 "Standard" GOTO Centre Balanced Equatorial Mount
Image Acquisition: Voyager
Observatory control: Lunatico Dragonfly
Stacking and Calibrating: Pixinsight
Processing: Pixinsight 1.8, Photoshop CC
The Leo Triplet is a group of galaxies about 35 - 50 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Leo. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66, as well as NGC 3628 which is not present in this field of view, as I could not fit it in.
Saturday the 14th of May 2023, was one of the rare clear nights in Melbourne, and with no Moon, I had to get outside and start imaging again. After 4 operations on my shoulders in the last 12 months, I was finally able to lift my equipment outside, set up, align and image for 3 hours before the fog
rolled in and ended the session.
I also did something that I rarely do. Visual astronomy. I recently purchased an "as new" classic telescope. A Meade LX50 - 8 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope with field tripod and equatorial wedge. Aligned perfectly, and tracking very well, I was able to view a few objects that I only ever photograph. It was great fun, and looking forward to doing it again on the next clear night.
Equipment Details:
•6 Inch GSO Ritchey-Chretien (RC) F9 1370mm Focal length
•Skywatcher NEQ6 Mount
•ZWO ASI1600mm Cmos Camera cooled to -10'c
•ZWO EFW7 Filter Wheel
•Baader 36mm unmounted Red, Green and Blue Filters
•Orion ST80 80mm Guide Scope
•ZWO ASI120mm mini Guide Camera
•ZWO ASIAIR Pro for full automation
•Processed in PixInsight
Exposure Details:
•Luminance 30X180 seconds - Bin 1x1
•Red 10X180 seconds - Bin 1x1
•Green 10X180 seconds - Bin 1x1
•Blue 10X180 seconds - Bin 1x1
Total Integration Time: 3 hours
Messier 66 or M66, also known as NGC 3627, is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the equatorial constellation of Leo. It was discovered by French astronomer Charles Messier on March 1, 1780, who described it as "very long and very faint". This galaxy is a member of a small group of galaxies that includes M65 and NGC 3628, known as the Leo Triplet, or the M66 Group.
Age: 13.26 billion years
Magnitude: 8.9
Radius: 47,500 light years
Stars: 200 billion
Coordinates: RA 11h 20m 15s | Dec +12° 59′ 30″
Constellation: Leo
Tech Specs: Orion 8" f/8 Ritchey-Chretien Astrograph Telescope, Sky-Watcher EQ6R-Pro mount that is pier mounted, ASI071MC-Pro, ZWO AAPlus, ZWO EAF, 54 x 60 seconds at -10C, processed using DSS and PixInsight. Image Date: March 26, 2023. Location: The Dark Side Observatory (W95), Weatherly, PA, USA (Bortle Class 4).
The Leo Triplet (also known as the M66 Group) is a small group of galaxies about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628.
This is a reprocessing of my first image shot with new ASI2600MC Air camera / control system and my new mount in spring 2025.
-= Tech Data =-
-Equipment-
Imaging Scope: Askar FRA300 Pro
Mount: SkyWatcher Star Adventuer GTi
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC Air
Focus: ZWO EAF
- Acquisition -
∙ 105 minutes of 5 minute exposures
Shot at the Lennox and Addington County Dark Sky Viewing area in Eastern Ontario.
NGC 3628 – Sometimes called the Hamburger Galaxy (though NGC 5128 is AKA the hamburger) is about 35 million light years away in the constellation Leo. It has a tidal tail approximately 300,000 light years long, shown only faintly in this image. The tail suggests that N3628 is interacting gravitationally with the two galaxies M65 and M66 which lie comparatively nearby. Spectroscopic analysis reveals that the stars in N3628 orbit in the opposite direction to the gas in the galaxy. It seems likely that a recent galactic merger is responsible for this dynamic. The equatorial dust band is obviously deformed in the outer regions of the galaxy. This is further evidence of a recent galactic merger.
Description from Sky Safari
Taken from Wickieup AZ, April 2025
Equipment Paramount MYT, ZWO 2600MM, Vixen VC200L @ 1280mm focal length. Scope courtesy of Larry Parker
This image is an LRGB composition.
RGB 2.5 hours each channel
Lum 10 hours
In V2 I softened the stars, removing the hard edges
M66 captured by David Wills at PixelSkies, Castillejar, Spain www.pixelskiesastro.com
Lum 257 x 30s
Red 131 x 30s
Green 87 x 30s
Blue 117 x 30s
4 hrs 55 mins hours in total.
Equipment used:
Telescope: Celestron 8" Edge HD F10
Camera: Xpress Trius SX-694 Pro Mono Cooled to -10C (Binned x2)
Image Scale: 0.8
Guiding: OAG
Filters: Astronomik Lum,Red,Green,Blue
Mount: iOptron CEM60 "Standard" GOTO Centre Balanced Equatorial Mount
Image Acquisition: Voyager
Observatory control: Lunatico Dragonfly
Stacking and Calibrating: Pixinsight
Processing: Pixinsight 1.8, Photoshop CC, StarXTerminator, StarNet v2
OTA: Newtonian Celestron 130 mm/f5 modified
Mount: Skywatcher Heq 5
Imaging Camera: Canon 700D astro modified
Telescope Guide: Gso 50mm
Camera Guide: QHY5L II Mono
Baader Mk III Coma Corrector
Polemaster Eletronic Polar Scope
Total Exposure: 4:00 hours (subs 300 sec)
Deep Sky Stacker: Calibration and stacking
Adobe Photoshop Cs2 : Data Processing,
Pulg-in: Hasta la vista, green, astroflat pro
PHD Guiding 2: Guide
Darks, Dark Flats, Flats and Bias apply
Serra Negra ( Bortle 4) /São Paulo/Brasil . 02/2022
Messier discovered M66 and M65 in 1780. I 'discovered' them last night haha! I needed these as I progress toward my goal of imaging all the objects in the Messier catalogue....long way to go yet but an enjoyable pursuit. Besides, the Book instructs me to look toward the heavens for the signs and wonders!
2600Duo, AM5, 107APO, AsiAir Plus.
9.3 hours collected.
9 hours integrated.
Moon 48%
1100mm/F7.3 telescope
Pentax 645z (astro-modified)
Apogee F16M cooled CCD
total exposure time = 34.1 hr
see www.astrobin.com/jlmim2/ for more technical details.