SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Steve Busch
Location of Photo:
Henderson, NV
Date/Time of photo:
5 nights in March 2026
Equipment:
AP 130 GTX, AP Mach 2, ZWO 2600 MC Pro
Description:
Messier 95 (upper) and Messier 96 (lower). Both are part of the Leo I Group of sparely populated galaxies in the constellation Leo. M95 at the top contains a bright central bar (just visible) of gas and stars, like a spoke running through a hub. M96 is a more classic looking galaxy with a bright central core and sweeping spiral arms. If you are able to zoom in, take a look in the upper left....what might appear as "stars" are actually galaxies. This image was about 7 hours of data, and somewhat difficult to process because of the galaxies subtle colors, low contrast, and faint outer arms. Even though I cropped the image to make them appear closer, the galaxies still feel a long ways away. All the galaxies in the Leo I Group are approximately 30 to 35 million light years from Earth.
