Explanation:
Sharp telescopic views of magnificent edge-on spiral
galaxy NGC 3628
show a puffy
galactic disk divided by dark dust lanes.
The tantalizing scene puts many astronomers
in mind of its popular moniker,
The Hamburger Galaxy.
About 100,000 light-years across and 35 million light-years away
in the constellation Leo, NGC 3628 shares its neighborhood in the
local
Universe with two other large spirals, a grouping
otherwise known as
the Leo Triplet.
Gravitational interactions with its cosmic neighbors are
likely responsible for the extended flare and warp
of this spiral's disk, populated by the galaxy's
young blue
star clusters and tell tale pinkish star forming regions.
Also a result of past close encounters, a faint
tidal
tail of material is just visible
extending upward and left in
this deep galaxy portrait.
