NGC 3628

2022年4月29日

Portrait of NGC 3628
Image Credit & Copyright: Wilhelm Michael Kasakow, Olaf Guillaume

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 upper 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.

Tomorrow’s picture: diffraction attraction

NGC 3628
影像提供与版权: Wilhelm Michael Kasakow, Olaf Guillaume

说明: 在高解析的望远镜影像里，NGC 3628是个鼓胀星系盘看似受到尘埃带分割的星系。而这幅此宏伟侧向螺旋星系的深空影像，很自然地让一些天文学家联想到汉堡星系的昵称。这幅影像同时也呈现了一个可能是NGC 3628的伴星系之邻近小星系（下方），以及一道广袤但很暗淡的潮汐尾。这道绵延约300,000光年的长尾，甚至伸展到这幅大视野影像的左上缘之外。NGC 3628和其他二个大螺旋星系M65和M66，共享它们所在的宇宙空间和狮子三重星系的称号。NGC 3628和邻近星系的重力交互作用，可能是造成潮汐尾、星系盘扭曲和星系突然增亮的主因。这个迷人的宇宙岛，位在北半球春天的狮子座之内，离我们约3千5百万光年远，大小则在10,000光年上下。

明日的图片: diffraction attraction