Messier 96 (M96)

Also Known as: : NGC 3368

Object Type: Intermediate Spiral Galaxy

Constellation: Leo

Distance from Earth: 31 million light years

Apparent Magnitude: 10.1

Coordinates: RA 10H 46M 45.7S DEC 11 deg 49 min 12 sec

Actual Size: 100,000 light years in diameter

Apparent Dimensions: 7.6 arc-minutes x 5.2 arc-minutes

Coordinates: RA 12H 50M 53.1S DEC 41 deg 07 min 14 sec

Discovered by: M96 was discovered by Charles Messier’s friend and colleague Pierre Méchain on March 20, 1781, along with the neighboring Messier 95.
Méchain reported the discovery to Messier, who added both objects to his catalogue four days later, on March 24, 1781.

Description: M96 has two conspicuous neighbors – the barred spiral galaxy M95 and the elliptical galaxy M105 – that are gravitationally bound to it.
Messier 96 is the brightest and largest member of the M96 Group, a group of galaxies located in Leo constellation that also includes M95, M105 and at least nine other galaxies. The group is also known as Leo I.
M96 is a double-barred spiral galaxy with a small inner bulge through the central region along with an outer bulge. The galaxy is estimated to contain about 100 billion stars.
The galaxy’s bright inner disk is home to a yellow population of old stars, while the spiral arms have rings of blue knots which are open clusters of young, hot, blue stars.
M96 is receding from us at 897 km/s. The right side of the galaxy has a greater concentration of dust than the left one, indicating that the right side is nearer to us.
The nucleus of M96 contains a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass between 1.5 million and 48 million solar masses.
It is the brightest and largest member of the M96 Galaxy Group which includes M95 and M105 and at least 9 other galaxies.
The extended arms and star forming activity are a result of interactions with other members of the group. The bright inner disk is home to a population of old yellow stars while the spiral arms have rings of open clusters of young hot, blue stars.
Messier 96 has a displaced core and ill-defined, asymmetric spiral arms, indicating that it is interacting with the neighboring galaxies. The galaxy’s bright central region has a linear diameter of about 66,000 light years, but its fainter outer spiral arms extend more than 100,000 light years in diameter. The spiral arms are a site of intense star formation.
The extended arms and the star forming activity are a result of gravitational interactions with other members of the M96 Group. Their gravitational pull is believed to have drawn out one of M96’s spiral arms.
Messier 96 likely collided with the nearby elliptical galaxy NGC 3384 about a billion years ago. The direct collision between the two galaxies resulted in a huge ring of cold hydrogen gas forming around most of the members of the M96 Group. Since the encounter, the galaxies have gone their separate ways and are now almost 40 million light years apart.

Click Below Image(s) for Full Size:

The galaxy requires good conditions, with clear, dark skies, and is very difficult to see with binoculars. In large binoculars, it only appears as a very faint patch of light.
Small telescopes reveal the galaxy’s oval core, while 8-inch telescopes show some of the details of the galaxy’s structure.
10-inch telescopes reveal a halo extending across an area 3 by 5 arc minutes in size and a brighter center.

The best time to view M96 is in the spring.

Platesolve

M96 Spiral Galaxy

Imaging Details
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