Two spiral galaxies in a star-filled night sky

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....a few of the fainter looking "stars" are actually galaxies. All the galaxies in the Leo I Group are approximately 30 to 35 million light years from Earth.

Steve Busch