Click here for a review of the strengths and weaknesses of the Global Rent-A-Scope operation.
This image was created by median combining 7 x 90 second unfiltered images taken with a Takahashi Epsilon 250 with SBIG ST-8XE CCD. The image has been cut down to be 15 x 15 arc minutes in size.
M96 is located about 38 million light-years from Earth and has a diameter of around 100,000 light-years. Visually it has a bright inner disk composed of old yellow stars surrounded by blue knots of young stars. It is inclined about 35 degrees to our line of sight, which gives it a slightly elongated appearance.
In collaboration with the Remote Astronomical Society Observatory
Martin Nicholson - Daventry, United Kingdom.
This page was last updated on April 15th 2009.