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M66 NGC 3627

Galaxy in the Leo Triplet; compare with M65.

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Photograph of M66 — NGC 3627
Photograph from volume II · The field may be partial and the colours may result from processing. Credits and source.

Essential information

Category
Galaxy
Constellation
Leo (Leo)
Alternative designation
NGC 3627
Right ascension / declination
11h20 / +12°59′
Visual magnitude
9
Indicative distance
≈ 35 M ly

RA / Dec.: J2000, rounded to the nearest minute. ly = light-year; M ly = million light-years; ≈ = approximate value; — = not available.

At the eyepiece

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Galaxy in the Leo Triplet; compare with M65.

Locating guide from the book2,8° SSE of θ Leo

N, S, E and W indicate cardinal directions; combinations give a more precise direction. Greek letters identify the constellation’s guide stars. Check the route on a suitable chart.

Photographs help you recognise structures, but do not predict the view through an eyepiece. Detection depends on the sky, the object’s altitude and your instrument.

Sources and credits

Fact sheet adapted from Comprendre comment explorer le ciel, volume II by Steve Cimolino, version dated 17 October 2026. Values and advice are taken from the book; they are not real-time ephemerides.

NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration; Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin and Robert Gendler. NASA / ESA / STScI reuse; see the NASA and ESA/Hubble terms below.

Photograph source and original description ↗ · NASA / ESA / STScI terms

Image resized and converted to WebP for this site; colours and proportions retained. Each image’s own licence continues to apply.

Book data: NASA HEASARC ; coordinates adapted fromOpenNGC, Mattia Verga under CC BY-SA 4.0. The relevant adapted data retain this licence. All image attributions and terms →

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