Astronomy Picture of the Day

  Sideways Galaxy NGC 3628 Image Credit & Copyright: Ken Crawford (Rancho Del Sol Obs.) Explanation: Dark dust lanes cut across the middle of this gorgeous island universe, a strong hint that NGC 3628 is a spiral galaxy seen sideways. About 35 million light-years away in the northern springtime constellation Leo, NGC 3628 bears the distinction of being the only member of the well known Leo triplet of galaxies not in Charles Messier's famous catalog. Otherwise similar in ... Full Story