Explanation:
Magnificent spiral galaxy
NGC 4565
is viewed edge-on from planet Earth.
Also known as the Needle Galaxy
for its narrow profile, bright
NGC 4565 is a stop on many telescopic tours
of the northern sky as it lies in the faint but well-groomed
constellation Coma
Berenices.
This
sharp color image reveals the galaxy's bulging central core
dominated by light from a population of older, yellowish stars.
The core is dramatically cut by obscuring dust lanes which lace
NGC 4565's thin galactic plane.
A large island universe
similar to our own
Milky Way
Galaxy, NGC 4565 is only about 30 million
light-years distant, but over 100,000 light-years in diameter.
In fact, some consider NGC 4565 to be a prominent celestial
masterpiece Messier missed.
