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Hubble has snapped a spectacular view
of the largest "player" in the Leo Triplet,

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a galaxy with an unusual anatomy:

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it displays asymmetric spiral arms
and an apparently displaced core.

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The peculiar anatomy is most likely
caused by the gravitational pull

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of the other two members of the trio.

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This is the Hubblecast.

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News and images from the
NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

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EPISODE 34: Hubble snaps
heavyweight of the Leo Triplet

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The unusual spiral galaxy Messier 66
is located at a distance

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of about 35 million light-years
in the constellation of Leo.

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Together with Messier 65 and
NGC 3628, Messier 66 is one third

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of the Leo Triplet, a trio of
interacting spiral galaxies,

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part of the larger Messier 66 group.

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Messier 66 wins out in size
over its fellow triplets,

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it is about 100,000 light-years across.

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Messier 66 is the proud owner of
exclusive asymmetric spiral arms

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which seem to climb above
the galaxy's main disc

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and an apparently displaced nucleus.

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This asymmetry is unusual,

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most often dense waves of
gas, dust and newly-born stars

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wind about the galaxy's
center in a symmetric way.

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Astronomers believe that
Messier 66's once orderly shape

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has most likely been distorted by the
gravitational pull of its two neighbours.

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Hubble has imaged Messier
66's striking dust lanes

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and bright star clusters along
the spiral arms in fine detail.

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Star clusters, pictured in the blue
and pinkish regions of the image,

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are key tools for astronomers
since they are used as indicators

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of how the parent galaxies
assembled over time.

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Messier 66 boasts a remarkable
record of supernovae explosions.

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The spiral galaxy has hosted
three supernovae since 1989,

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the latest one occurring in 2009.

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A supernova is a stellar explosion

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that may momentarily outshine
its entire host galaxy.

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It then fades away over a period
lasting several weeks or months.

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During its very short life the
supernova radiates as much energy

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as the Sun would radiate over a
period of about 10 billion years.

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Hubblecast is produced
by ESA / Hubble

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at the European
Southern Observatory in Germany.

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The Hubble mission is a project
of international cooperation

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between NASA and
the European Space Agency.

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Now that you've caught up with Hubble

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make sure to get the
latest from the ground too.

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The ESOCast highlights the best of
the European Southern Observatory

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and its powerful telescopes that
observe from high in the Chilean Andes

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at the southern hemisphere's best known
sites for astronomical observations.