Deep Sky
M96

M96
NGC 3368
M95
Constellation  Leo
Known as a barred spiral, M96 is approx 36 million light-years away from us and part of a small group of galaxies called…..M96 Group.  It is the brightest member of the Leo I group. This dude is roughly 66,000 light-years across making it just a little smaller than our Milky Way. As recently as 1998 astronomers detected a supernova in this galaxy 1A SN1998bu.

This galaxy was discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781 and cataloged by Messier 4 days latr on March 24,1781, writing ‘nebula without star, in the Lion’.

M95 is the little galaxy in the upper left corner.