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 April 29 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Portrait of NGC 3628 Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Wilhelm Michael Kasakow, Olaf Guillaume Explanation: Sharp telescopic views of [5]NGC 3628 show a puffy galactic disk divided by dark dust lanes. Of course, [6]this portrait of the magnificent, edge-on spiral galaxy puts some astronomers [7]in mind of its popular moniker, the Hamburger Galaxy. It also reveals a small galaxy nearby (below), likely a satellite of NGC 3628, and a very faint but extensive [8]tidal tail. The drawn out tail stretches for about 300,000 light-years, even beyond the upper left edge of the frame. NGC 3628 shares its neighborhood in the local universe with two other large spirals [9]M65 and [10]M66 in a grouping otherwise known as [11]the Leo Triplet. Gravitational interactions with its [12]cosmic neighbors are likely responsible for creating the tidal tail, as well as the extended flare and warp of this spiral's disk. [13]The tantalizing island universe itself is about 100,000 light-years across and 35 million light-years away in the northern springtime constellation Leo. Tomorrow's picture: diffraction attraction __________________________________________________________________ [14]< | [15]Archive | [16]Submissions | [17]Index | [18]Search | [19]Calendar | [20]RSS | [21]Education | [22]About APOD | [23]Discuss | [24]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell ([28]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [29]Specific rights apply. [30]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [31]ASD at [32]NASA / [33]GSFC & [34]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2204/NGC3628-crop.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. mailto: info [at]hk[-]bildhauer[dot]de 5. http://messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/n3628.html 6. http://www.stein-exclusiv.de/NGC3628-crop.jpg 7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020807.html 8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121108.html 9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070601.html 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101113.html 11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110803.html 12. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2002/11/1181-Image.html?news=true 13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8AKo9sS45E 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220428.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 23. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220429 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220430.html 25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 31. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 32. https://www.nasa.gov/ 33. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 34. http://www.mtu.edu/