Messier 66
M66 has a morphological classification of SABb, indicating a spiral shape with a weak bar feature and loosely wound arms. The isophotal axis ratio is 0.32, indicating that it is being viewed at an angle. M66 is receding from us with a heliocentric radial velocity of 696.3±12.7 km/s. It lies 31 million light-years away and is about 95 thousand light-years across with striking dust lanes and bright star clusters along sweeping spiral arms.
Five supernovae have been observed in M66: SN 1973R (type IIP, mag. 14.5), SN 1989B (type Ia, mag. 13), SN 1997bs (Type IIn, mag. 17), SN 2009hd (Type II, mag. 15.8), and SN 2016cok (Type IIP, mag. 16.6). SN 2016cok was discovered by the All Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae.
Gravitational interaction from its past encounter with neighboring NGC 3628 has resulted in an extremely high central mass concentration; a high molecular to atomic mass ratio; and a resolved non-rotating clump of H I material apparently removed from one of the spiral arms. The latter feature shows up visually as an extremely prominent and unusual spiral arm and dust lane structures as originally noted in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies.
Gallery
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Infrared false color view of M66 from the Spitzer Space Telescope
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Infrared false color view of M66 from the James Webb Space Telescope
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Messier 66 by 2MASS
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An ultraviolet image of Messier 66 by GALEX