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Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby &
Mark Hanson
Explanation:
Sharp telescopic views of
NGC 3628
show a puffy galactic disk divided by dark dust lanes.
Of course,
this portrait
of the magnificent, edge-on spiral galaxy puts some astronomers
in mind of its popular moniker,
the Hamburger Galaxy.
It also reveals a small galaxy nearby (below), likely a satellite of
NGC 3628, and a very faint but extensive
tidal tail.
The drawn out tail stretches for about 300,000
light-years, even beyond the left edge of the frame.
NGC 3628 shares its neighborhood in the
local universe with two other large spirals
M65 and
M66 in a grouping
otherwise known as the Leo Triplet.
Gravitational
interactions
with its
cosmic neighbors are likely responsible for creating the tidal tail,
as well as the extended flare and warp of this spiral's disk.
The tantalizing
island universe
itself is about 100,000 light-years across and 35 million light-years
away in the northern springtime constellation Leo.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: spiral galaxy
Publications with words: spiral galaxy
See also:
- APOD: 2025 September 4 Á NGC 4565: Galaxy on Edge
- APOD: 2025 August 22 Á A Tale of Two Nebulae
- APOD: 2025 August 19 Á Giant Galaxies in Pavo
- APOD: 2025 August 18 Á NGC 1309: A Useful Spiral Galaxy
- APOD: 2025 July 4 Á NGC 6946 and NGC 6939
- APOD: 2025 June 30 Á NGC 4651: The Umbrella Galaxy
- APOD: 2025 June 19 Á NGC 3521: Galaxy in a Bubble