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Observing Messier 66 (M66)
Messier 66 or M66, also known as NGC 3627, is an intermediate spiral galaxy located around 31 million light years from Earth in the equatorial half of the Leo constellation. This galaxy is a member of the Leo Triplet, a small group of galaxies that includes M65 and NGC 3628.
What Messier 66 is
Messier 66 or M66, also known as NGC 3627, is an intermediate spiral galaxy located around 31 million light years from Earth in the equatorial half of the Leo constellation. This galaxy is a member of the Leo Triplet, a small group of galaxies that includes M65 and NGC 3628. M66 has a morphological classification of SABb, indicating that it has a spiral shape with a weak bar feature and loosely wound arms.
How to observe it
This is a fainter target that rewards aperture and dark skies. A 150 mm or larger telescope from a site away from town lights shows it best, and averted vision helps.
It lies in the constellation Leo. To find it, learn the constellation first, then star-hop from its brighter stars with a finder or a wide-field eyepiece before switching to more magnification.
Magnification is your telescope's focal length divided by your eyepiece's focal length. For an extended object like this, start low to frame it, then step up in power only if the object takes it. Use the Fit My Telescope tool to see the exact magnification, true field and exit pupil each of your eyepieces gives.
How it looks at the eyepiece
What you see at the eyepiece is fainter and less colourful than a photograph, because the eye takes in light in an instant while a camera builds it up over minutes. Expect a grey glow rather than the vivid colours of an image, and let your eyes dark-adapt for at least twenty minutes to see the most.
Frame it at low to medium power first with a wide true field, then step up the magnification only if the object stays sharp and the sky is steady. The Fit My Telescope tool shows the magnification, true field of view and exit pupil each of your eyepieces gives in your telescope, so you can pick the one that frames the object best.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Object type | spiral galaxy |
| Constellation | Leo |
| Apparent magnitude | 8.9 |
| Catalogue | Messier 66 (M66) |
Object data from Wikidata (CC0) and standard Messier catalogues.
What magnification suits M66?
Open the Fit My Telescope toolSee the true field and exit pupil each eyepiece givesFind telescope eyepiece on eBayaffiliateRelated
Sources: Messier 66 (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA) ยท Wikidata (CC0)