Messier 66 or M66, also known as NGC 3627, is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the southern, equatorial half of Leo. 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. M65 and M66 are a common object for amateur astronomic observation, being separated by only 20′.
| Object | M66 Galaxy (in Leo Triplet) |
| Constellation: | Leo |
| Position: | RA 11h 20m 15s Dec 12° 59' 29'' |
| Apparent Size: | 9.1 × 4.2 arcmins |
| Apparent Magnitude: | 8.9 |
| Distance in light years: | 31 Mly |
| Photo Data | |
| Date of Expose: | 22.-26.04.2023 |
| Location: |
IC Astronomy Observatory Spain Oria, Almería, Spain , ASL 1250m GPS: 37.4988 N / -2.42178 W |
| Telescope: | SPA-2-CMOS: Officina Stellare 700 RC, f/d 8.0/5600mm |
| Camera: | QHY 600M, 3.76μm, 9576x6382px, Bin-4 = 2388x1579px |
| Field of View: | 22 x 15 arcmins |
| Pixel Scale/Resolution: | 0.14.arcsec/px |
| Expose frames/times: | L 16x600s, R 20x600s, G 15x120s, B 20x120s |
| Total expose: | 2h 22min |
| Filter: | Astrodon Luminance, Red, Green, Blue |
| Mount: | Paramount MX+ |
| Software: | Siril 1.4, Photoshop CC |
| Remarks: |
© 2025 Peter Cerveny