APOD 2.4

November 18, 2010.      Spiral Galaxy M66

This spiral galaxy, better known as M66, is located 35 million light-years away and spans for over 100,000 light-years across. This galaxy is well known as part of the Leo Triplet of galaxies, also containing M65 and NGC 3628, all of which can be seen from the same field of view.  The spiral arms seen in the picture are formed from a mixture of dust particles as well as blue star clusters. Also in the mix of these spiral arms are pink masses of energized hydrogen gas, giving it the pinkish glow coming through the blue. Some of the brighter stars seen are in fact stars found in the Milky Way, however some of the fainter and more distant objects are actually other galaxies found near by, as explained by the Leo Triplet.  It is believed that the gravitational forces acting between these galaxies are the cause of the attraction that causes spinning and results in the spiraling effect, making galaxy M66 such a spectacular sight.