M65 · Messier 65
| Chinese name | M65 星系 |
|---|---|
| Type | Galaxy |
| Constellation | Leo |
| RA | 11h19m |
| Dec | +13° |
| Apparent magnitude | 9.3ᵐ |
| Hemisphere | Both hemispheres |
| Best season | Spring |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Focal length | 长焦 1000mm+ |
About
M65 lies about 35 million light-years away in Leo and is one of the members of the famous 「Leo Triplet」 galaxy group. It appears as a slender, near-edge-on spiral, with a clear dust lane tracing one side of the disk and a warm yellow core that reflects its older stellar population. Compared with its tidally disturbed, somewhat messy neighbor M66, M65 is smooth and orderly with relatively quiet star formation. Framed together with M66 and the Hamburger Galaxy (NGC 3628), it forms a signature spring galaxy composition. Its modest surface brightness rewards a long focal length and long exposures under dark skies.