| Description | Messier discovered M66 (#30) on the same day as M65, March 1, 1780. Some scholars credit Méchain, but I've relied on the catalog entry, where Méchain is normally credited. Here the catalog states: "Nebula discovered in Leo; its light is very faint & it is very close to the preceding [M65]: They both appear in the same field [of view] in the refractor. The comet of 1773 & 1774 has passed between these two nebulae on November 1 to 2, 1773. M. Messier didn't see them at that time, no doubt, because of the light of the comet." <--> This observation shows a lovely barred spiral galaxy on a Full Moon evening. Obviously, the broad outline of the target was instantly visible in SharpCap, but the surface brightness was lower than expected. Note that Arp lists the Triplet as Arp 317, and M66 separately as Arp 16. I presume Arp's "detached segments" refers to the upper arm being pulled away from the disk which gives M66 its distinctive, teardrop shape. I imagine that the arm was pulled away by an encounter with another galaxy at some point. Also indicating some sort of disturbance, the plane of the central bar is angled-in slightly towards the back of the disk compared to the plane of the disk and outer arms. |
