Shoot an Asteroid in the Leo Galaxy Triplet!
April 9th through the 14th - Leo's Triplet Made Four: Asteroid Flora Pays a Fleeting Visit
Imagine gazing millions of light-years across the cosmos to admire a stunning trio of galaxies, only to spot a relatively close neighbour from our solar system drifting silently past! This is the unique spectacle astronomers and astrophotographers can enjoy in early to mid-April 2025, as asteroid (8) Flora journeys through the constellation Leo. For a few nights, its path takes it incredibly close to the famous Leo Triplet, momentarily transforming this beloved galactic group into a cosmic quartet—a truly special sight!
Celestial Encounter Details:
Main Event: Asteroid (8) Flora passes the Leo Triplet galaxies
Date Window: April 9-14, 2025
Location: Constellation Leo
The Visitor: (8) Flora
Type: Large Main-belt Asteroid (~128 km diameter)
Magnitude during pass: ~+10.3 (Telescopic target)
Approx. Distance: ~1.4 AU / ~209 million km from Earth during pass (Note: Rough estimate)
The Residents: Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC 3628)
Type: Spiral Galaxies
Distance: ~35 million light-years
The Cosmic Dance:
Around April 9th-12th, keen observers can track Flora, glowing steadily around 10th magnitude, as it passes alongside the Leo Triplet. Its path is particularly close to the striking edge-on form of NGC 3628, the "Hamburger Galaxy." Seeing this nearby asteroid, light-minutes away, juxtaposed against galaxies whose light has travelled for 35 million years is a mind-bending reminder of space's vast scale and three-dimensional nature! You will need a telescope or a mounted camera to capture the close pass.
Meet the Players:
Our visitor, (8) Flora, (read more at Wikipedia) is no small pebble – it's a substantial asteroid, one of the largest in the inner main belt, just past Mars, known for reflecting sunlight well. Its orbital path brought it into the neighbourhood of the Leo Triplet, a gravitationally bound group containing the beautiful spirals M65 and M66, alongside the dusty marvel, NGC 3628. This galactic trio is a showpiece in the spring night sky.
The Leo Triplet
The destination for Flora's visit, the Leo Triplet, isn't just a random patch of sky – it's a stunning, gravitationally interacting group of three spiral galaxies, a true showpiece sparkling in the constellation Leo. Residing about 35 million light-years away, this cosmic trio features the beautifully tilted spirals M65 and M66, along with the scene-stealing NGC 3628, famous for its edge-on, dusty profile that earned it the nickname "Hamburger Galaxy." This galactic ensemble is a perennial favourite, offering a captivating glimpse into galactic dynamics and diverse galaxy forms.
Capturing "Flora's Garden"
An event like this begs to be captured! My "Flora's Garden" image is a two-stack capture totalling over 8 hours of exposure time, stacked and processed in Siril, Photoshop, and Lightroom. You can see the streak of asteroid Flora just to the left of the faint, majestic glow of the three galaxies. My D3, makes capturing such moments more accessible than ever. It's gratifying to see the scope in EQ mode lock onto the field and, through live stacking, slowly reveal the ancient light travelled from the galaxies and the reflected sunlight from Flora, showcasing our solar system dynamics contrasted with the deep-sky backdrop of the Leo Triplet.
Thanks for Reading!
Witnessing these alignments is a highlight for any astrophotographer. It underscores the continuous motions within our solar system, set against the near-unchanging canvas of distant deep-sky objects. Capturing asteroid Flora briefly making the Leo Triplet a quartet is a snapshot of this ongoing cosmic ballet—a delightful reminder to keep looking up!
Will try if the clouds don't spoil it..so far not looking good..clear skies
Nice writeup...and thanks for the timely info..had a go at it last nights let's see how it comes out