M96

Alt. Designations: NGC 3368
Object Type: Spiral Galaxy
Constellation: Leo
Distance: 31 mly
Right Ascension: 10h 46m 45.8s
Declination: +11° 49´ 12"
Visual Magnitude: 9.2
Apparent Dimension: 7.8´ x 5.2´
Best Month To View: Feb

Yet another galaxy to be seen in the constellation of Leo is M96. It is the brightest member of the M96 group of galaxies, with a visual magnitude of 9.2. This object is located about 38 million light-years from Earth and has a diameter of around 100,000 light-years. Visually it has a bright inner disk composed of old yellow stars surrounded by blue knots of young stars. It is inclined about 35 degrees to our line of sight, which gives it a slightly elongated appearance. Although it can be spotted with binoculars on a good night, a telescope is required to see any real detail in this galaxy.