M65 - NGC 3623

Messier 65 (NGC 3623) is a spiral galaxy located approximately 35 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1780 along with its neighbor M66, and together with the galaxy NGC 3628, these three form the famous Leo Triplet, one of the most popular galaxy groups for amateur observation and astrophotography. M65 is classified as an SAa type spiral galaxy, indicating tightly wound spiral arms and a prominent central bulge. The galaxy is seen at a fairly high inclination, roughly 65 degrees from face-on, which gives it an elongated appearance and reveals a prominent dust lane along its near edge. This dust lane is one of M65's most distinctive visual features and can be detected in telescopes of 8 inches or larger under good conditions. M65 has a diameter of approximately 90,000 light-years and shows relatively little current star formation compared to its companion M66. Its spiral arms are smooth and well-ordered, lacking the bright HII regions and chaotic structure that would indicate vigorous star-forming activity. This relative quiescence makes M65 appear somewhat redder and smoother than M66 when imaged in color. One supernova has been observed in M65: SN 2013am, a Type II supernova discovered in March 2013. In amateur telescopes, M65 appears as a bright, elongated streak of light with a prominent central bulge. It fits in the same medium-power telescopic field as M66, and the two make an attractive pair that showcases different spiral galaxy morphologies side by side.

M65 spans approximately 90,000 light-years in diameter and lies about 35 million light-years from Earth with tightly wound spiral arms seen at a high inclination.