Messier 95 (Leo)
Fig. 1 - A blazing golden core, containing a bar cutting through its centre, surrounded by an inner ring currently forming new stars: The barred spiral galaxy Messier 95 in Leo, photographed with a 16-inch f/4.5 Dob on an equatorial platform.
| Object name: | Constellation: | Coordinates: | Apparent size: | Visual brightness: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messier 95 (= NGC 3351) | Leo | 10h44m / +11°42' | 3.1' x 2.9' | 9.7 mag |
The barred spiral galaxy Messier 95 (NGC 3351) in the constellation Leo. The galaxy has a morphological classification of SB(r)b, with the SBb notation indicating it is a barred spiral with arms that are intermediate on the scale from tightly to loosely wound, and an "(r)" meaning an inner ring surrounds the bar. The latter is a ring-shaped, circumnuclear star-forming region with a diameter of approximately 70,000 light-years. The spiral structure extends outward from the ring.
Messier 95 is about 33 million light-years away and was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 (source: Wikipedia).
Exposure time: 2h 34min (46x approx. 3min) at ISO 800, taken on March 9 / 10, April 29 and May 4 / 5, 2016. Processing with Deep Sky Stacker and Photoshop. No calibration frames were taken.
Equipment: Canon EOS 450D Baader modified camera, TeleVue Universal Paracorr coma corrector, 16" f/4.5 "Ninja" dobsonian telescope riding on a dual-axis Tom Osypowski equatorial platform, Lacerta MGEN autoguider, Lacerta off axis system.
Field of view comparison: image of the moon with the same setup.
Fig. 2 - Search chart for Messier 95. Copyright 2025 'The Mag-7 Star Atlas Project', www.siaris.net.