Leo 1 Dwarf Galaxy...taken by Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Obs,Grafton,Ontario..April 25, May 11 and 14, 2012
TEC 140 and ML8300 camera, Lum 1x1 29x5m, RGB 2x2 10x2m each.
The star near the bottom is so bright that it is sometimes hard to notice the galaxy toward the bottom. Pictured above, both the star, Regulus, and the galaxy, Leo I, can be found within one degree of each other toward the constellation of the Lion (Leo). Regulus is part of a multiple star system, with a close companion double star visible to the lower left of the young main sequence star. Leo I is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy in the Local Group of galaxies dominated by our Milky Way Galaxy and M31. Leo I is thought to be the most distant of the several known small satellite galaxies orbiting our Milky Way Galaxy. Regulus is located about 75 light years away, in contrast to Leo 1 which is located about 800,000 light years away. Text from APOD http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120110.html edit