Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2022 May 5
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                        NGC 3521: Galaxy in a Bubble
        Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Mark Hanson and [5]Mike Selby

   Explanation: [6]Gorgeous spiral galaxy NGC 3521 is a mere 35 million
   light-years away, toward the northern [7]springtime constellation Leo.
   Relatively bright in planet Earth's sky, NGC 3521 is easily visible in
   small telescopes but often overlooked by amateur imagers in favor of
   other Leo spiral galaxies, like [8]M66 and M65. It's hard to overlook
   in this colorful [9]cosmic portrait though. Spanning some 50,000
   light-years the galaxy sports [10]characteristic patchy, irregular
   spiral arms laced with dust, pink star forming regions, [11]and
   clusters of young, blue stars. This deep image also finds NGC 3521
   embedded in fainter, gigantic, bubble-like shells. The shells are
   likely tidal debris, streams of stars torn from satellite galaxies that
   have [12]undergone mergers with NGC 3521 in the distant past.

                    Tomorrow's picture: southern tadpoles
     __________________________________________________________________

      [13]< | [14]Archive | [15]Submissions | [16]Index | [17]Search |
   [18]Calendar | [19]RSS | [20]Education | [21]About APOD | [22]Discuss |
                                    [23]>
     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([27]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [28]Specific rights apply.
              [29]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2205/NGC3521LRGBHaAPOD-20.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.hansonastronomy.com/
   5. https://www.facebook.com/masterdarksastro/
   6. https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/hubble-shears-a-woolly-galaxy
   7. https://earthsky.org/favorite-star-patterns/spring-triangle-regulus-arcturus-spica/
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210320.html
   9. https://www.hansonastronomy.com/ngc3521-1meter
  10. https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.03653
  11. https://arxiv.org/abs/1312.2399
  12. http://www.cosmotography.com/images/galaxy_formation_and_evolution.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220504.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  22. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220505
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220506.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/