Messier 96 (M96, NGC 3368) is an intermediate spiral galaxy located about 31 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in March 1781 and confirmed shortly after by Charles Messier, who added it to his famous catalog.

M96 is classified as a double-barred spiral galaxy with both an inner and outer bulge.

Its nucleus is weakly active (LINER2 type) and shows ultraviolet variability linked to a supermassive black hole, estimated between 1.5 million and 48 million solar masses. Roughly the size and mass of the Milky Way, M96’s asymmetric arms and dust lanes are likely shaped by interactions with neighboring galaxies.