Bortle 4.5

Processing these images waseasier compared to my earlier attempts with M81 and M82. The final result makes me happy, especially considering the challenges posed by a rather small light leak during the capture of the Leo Triplett. The most demanding aspect was isolating the jet of the Hamburger Galaxy, a task made even more difficult by the light leak.

I regret not capturing the H-alpha data this time around, but I plan to add it in the future. 

The Leo Triplet, also known as the M66 Group, is a fascinating group of three interacting spiral galaxies located approximately 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. This trio consists of Messier 65 (M65), Messier 66 (M66), and NGC 3628, which is often referred to as the Hamburger Galaxy due to its distinctive edge-on appearance with a prominent dust lane.

1. 
   
   Messier 65 (M65):
   • Type: Intermediate spiral galaxy.
   • Magnitude: 10.25.
   • Size: About 90,000 light-years in diameter.
   • Features: M65 has tightly wound spiral arms and a bright galactic center. It is relatively poor in dust and gas, showing little evidence of recent star formation. A supernova, SN 2013am, was observed in M65 on March 21, 2013 1.
     
     
2. 
   
   Messier 66 (M66):
   • Type: Intermediate spiral galaxy.
   • Magnitude: 8.9.
   • Size: Roughly 95 light-years across.
   • Features: M66 is the largest and brightest member of the Leo Triplet. It exhibits a high rate of star formation, particularly in its spiral arms, which have been distorted by gravitational interactions with its neighboring galaxies 23.
     
     
3. 
   
   NGC 3628 (Hamburger Galaxy):
   • Type: Unbarred spiral galaxy.
   • Magnitude: 9.5.
   • Size: Appears edge-on with a prominent dust lane.
   • Features: NGC 3628 has a striking tidal tail that stretches over 300,000 light-years, although it is quite faint and not always visible in images. The galaxy's edge-on orientation reveals a thin, needle-like shape with dark dust lanes obscuring its bright core 24.