'A Spiral Galaxy in a Bubble': Wide-field view of NGC 3521 in Leo

'A Spiral Galaxy in a Bubble': Wide-field view of NGC 3521 in Leo

Gorgeous spiral galaxy NGC 3521 is almost 40 million light-years away, toward the northern 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 M66 and M65. It is hard to overlook in this colorful cosmic portrait though. Spanning across 50,000 light-years, the galaxy sports characteristic patchy, irregular spiral arms laced with dust, pink star forming regions, and clusters of young, blue stars. The 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 undergone mergers with NGC 3521 in the distant past.

The British astronomer William Herschel discovered this object in 1784. Through backyard telescopes, NGC 3521 can have a glowing, rounded appearance, giving rise to its nickname, the Bubble Galaxy.

Image Credit & Copyright: Vikas Chander
Vikas' website: 

https://www.instagram.com/vikaschanderastrophotography/
Release Date: June 19, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Hubble35 #Galaxies #Galaxy #BubbleGalaxy #NGC3521 #SpiralGalaxy #FlocculentGalaxy #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #VikasChander #Astrophotographer #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD