M95-M96

Image Description and Details : The M96 group, also called the Leo I group, is a collection of galaxies in the constellation Leo. The group contains between 8 and 24 galaxies, including three Messier objects. It is one of the many clusters in the Virgo supercluster.

M96 is the ‘dominant’ galaxy in the group, i.e. the most massive. M95 and M96 are both barred spiral galaxies, of comparable dimensions and a little smaller than our Milky Way (93 000 AL for M96 and 73 000 for M95).

At the top right is the elliptical galaxy M 105 from the bottom, then Ngc 3384 and then Ngc 3389, the highest in the image.

We can also see a beautiful spiral galaxy (seen – by contrast – from the edge) camouflaged in one of the spiral arms of M96.

Other more distant galaxies can be detected in the picture.

Photo taken in Normandy (France) . 7H 15 in L;R,G,B
Set up: Newton skyvision 250 900 f/d 3.6 on Skywatcher mount. Camera ZWO Asi 6200 MM.
Processing APP-Pixinsight-Photoshop

Copyright: Francis Bozon