About this Object:  

Leo is one of the more unrated constellations in the night sky.  No, it is not filled with colorful nebula, a distinction of any constellation so far removed from the plain or our Milky Way.  However, Leo is home to several of the best galaxies visible from earth.   This image shows three of the most famous of the Leo galaxies, and together they are often called the "Leo Trio" or "Leo Triplet" of galaxies.  Belonging to the M66 group, they reside some 35 million light years away.

In the image above, M65 is the oblique spiral in the upper right, M66 is below, and NGC 3628 is the edge-on spiral to the left.  Notice the faint trail of dust extending below and to the left of this galaxy.   Together, they are a beautiful trio indeed, a favorite target for many astroimagers in the spring months.

The cluster is quite easy to find, resting in the "back leg" of the Lion itself, between the Theta and Iota stars in Leo. Most any scope in dark skies can detect these bright galaxies - mag 8.9 for M66, mag 9.2 for M65, and mag 9.6 for NGC 3628.