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M105

NGC 3379

M105 is one of a number of galaxies in the constellation of Leo, lying on an imaginary line between the stars Regulus and Denebola in the sky. As well as M105, this group of galaxies - known as the Leo I Group - also includes the spirals M95 and M96, and M105 is particularly closely associated with the lenticular galaxy NGC 3384.

M105 appears close to two other galaxies in the sky. In fact, it is only connected to one of these, the lenticular galaxy NGC 3384 to the northeast, which is a fellow member of the Leo I Group. The third galaxy seen here, spiral NGC 3389, is not related to the other two, and lies some thirty million light years farther from the Milky Way. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

M105 is an elliptical galaxy, almost spherical in form, though within the outlines of its hazy sphere a faint dark ring of material can be seen surrounding the galaxy's core. That core is intensely active, and at least one supermassive black hole can be found there, though studies of the galaxy's behaviour imply that in fact a binary pair of black holes may lie at its heart. The galaxy lies some thirty-nine million light years from the Milky Way.

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