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.
