Messier 66 is a spiral galaxy that is located approximately 36 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo. The galaxy is part of the Leo Triplet, a group of three galaxies that include Messier 65 and NGC 3628.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a new view of Messier 66. This is shown in the Hubblecast video above, as well as in several images that occur after the break. From the news release on the image:
Messier 66 is the proud owner of exclusive asymmetric spiral arms which seem to climb above the galaxy’s main disc and an apparently displaced nucleus. This asymmetry is unusual; most often, dense waves of gas, dust and newly born stars wind about the galaxy’s centre in a symmetric way. Astronomers believe that Messier 66’s once orderly shape has most likely been distorted by the gravitational pull of its two neighbours.
More images are after the break.
Messier 66
The Leo Triplet
