M95 NGC 3351
M96 NGC 3368

Object Type Galaxy SBb
Constellation Leo
Magnitude 9.8
Size 7.5' x 5.0'

The Virgo supercluster covers a considerable portion of the sky, with outlying members of the cluster spilling over into a number of neighbouring constellations, one of them being Leo. In this photograph of central Leo, there are 5 bright galaxies as well as a number of fainter ones, all belonging to the Virgo supercluster.


Film Images



45 minute exposure, Fuji Super HG V 400 film. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

The two brightest galaxies are M95 (near the right hand edge), and M96 (near the centre). Both of these galaxies are easy objects for a small telescope. M95 is a beautiful barred spiral, that appears as an elongated patch of light in an 8" telescope, while M96 is a regular spiral that appears almost corcular in an 8".

To the upper left of M96, near the top of the image, is a triangle of three galaxies. These are M105, (the brightest one, on the right) NGC 3384, (top left of the triangle) and NGC 3389 (the faintest, on the bottom left). All of these are easily seen in a 6" telescope and even with moderate magnification, fit into the same field of view.


DSLR Images



Combination of 5, 180 second images. Modified Canon Digital Rebel DSLR camera.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.


Combination of 26, 30 second images. Modified Canon Digital Rebel DSLR camera.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.


CCD Images



Combination of 5, 1 minute exposures, SBIG ST-8 CCD.
8" f/6.3 schmidt-cassegrain at prime focus.


1 minute exposure. SBIG ST9E CCD.
14" f/11 schmidt-cassegrain with f/6.3 focal reducer.


Combination of 20, 3 minute images unfiltered.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.