Russell Croman Astrophotography  

 

 

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3628


About This Photograph

At a distance of some 30 million light years in the constellation of Leo we find this fine example of a spiral galaxy viewed edge-on. The distinct lanes of dust and gas bisecting the body of the galaxy are the tell-tale clue that it has a spiral form. In fact, our own galaxy demonstrates such lanes, as can be seen clearly when the summer Milky Way is overhead and viewed from a dark location, away from city lights.

NGC 3628 is a member of a group of galaxies, and gravitational interaction with the other members has left this galaxy a bit disturbed. Note the warp of the disk and the flaring of the outer rim of the galaxy. There is also a faint tail of material above and to the left of the main galaxy, orphan stars thrown off into intergalactic space by a gravitational encounter.

 

Technical Details

Optics:20" f/8 RCOS Ritchey-Chrétien Cassegrain w/ Field Corrector.
Camera:SBIG STL-11000M.
Mount:Software Bisque Paramount ME.
Filters:SBIG Standard RGB.
Dates/Times:6-10 March 2005.
Location:Dimension Point Observatory, Mayhill, New Mexico.
Exposure Details:LRGB = 6.5:3.0:1.5:2.0 hours.
Acquisition:MaxIm DL/CCD 4, TheSky6, CCDAutoPilot2.
Processing:MaxIm DL/CCD 4, Photoshop CS, GradientXTerminator.

 

Publication Data for this Photograph

Date Publication Type
2005-04-08 NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day Web Site