Description:
M95, M96, and M105 are three notable galaxies located in the constellation Leo. They are part of the Leo I Group, a small galaxy group within the Virgo Supercluster.
M95 (NGC 3351), at the top of the image is a Barred Spiral Galaxy (SBb), 33 million light-years away. M95 is a beautiful barred spiral galaxy with a well-defined central bar and tightly wound spiral arms. It has an inner ring structure surrounding the core, where active star formation occurs. In 2012, a Type II supernova (SN 2012aw) was detected in M95.
M96 (NGC 3368), in the middle of the image is an Intermediate Spiral Galaxy (SAB(rs)ab), 31 million light-years away.
M96 is the brightest galaxy in the Leo I Group and has a slightly distorted structure, likely due to gravitational interactions with nearby galaxies. Its asymmetric spiral arms and off-center nucleus indicate past interactions. It contains a mix of young, hot stars and older populations.
M105 (NGC 3379), the top right galaxy of the group of 3 at the bottom left of the image is an Elliptical Galaxy (E1), 32 million light-years away.
Unlike M95 and M96, M105 is an elliptical galaxy with a smooth, featureless appearance. It is known for housing a supermassive black hole at its center and has very little star-forming activity. It is accompanied by two smaller galaxies, NGC 3384 and NGC 3389. NGC 3389 lies much farther away at 60 million light-years. Its asymmetric structure and active star formation suggest past gravitational interactions.
