| Name | Leo Triplet |
| Designation(s) | Arp 317, M 66 Group, NGC 3628, M 65 |
| Object Type(s) | Galaxy |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron), Arp, Messier, NGC |
| Arp Category | Groups of galaxies |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 42° 17', 073° 57' |
| Constellation | Leo |
| Date and Time Observed | 2025-03-03 21:11:00 |
| Instrument | Askar V 80mm w extender f7.5-600mm FL |
| Camera | ASI294mc-Pro |
| Image Details | Transparency: Good. Seeing: Good. Total integration time was 29m30s. Exposure 30s@305g, UV/IR Cut Filter. Darks subtracted, no flats. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap. No guiding.. |
| Description | Discovered by Messier (#29) on March 1, 1780 who recorded additional details in the entry for M66. Here he notes only: "Nebula discovered in Leo: It is very faint and contains no star." <--> This is one of my favorite targets, a stunningly beautiful group of three spiral galaxies. There are multiple observations here with different orientations. Tech details are for most recent triplet image, featured. M66 appears to be bent slightly by the attraction to M65. Arp seems to agree with me, as he remarks: "Both galaxies on east show signs of interaction." All three galaxies are quite bright, distinctly visible even after 60 seconds of integration. I have attached a "bonus" image which is a SeeStar 50 capture -- my first of the Triplet -- during a very dark and clear morning. This is the best galaxy capture I've achieved with this $500 automated telescope, and demonstrates what it can achieve when conditions are "perfect". I've also added to the gallery a capture from March of 2025, representing my first ever of M65 stand-alone, outside of the Triplet. Captured with my EdgeHD, 0.7x reducer, and Apollo M-Mini mono camera. |
| Related Observations | M65 (2) M66 (3) NGC3628 (2) |
| Catalog Links | |
