NGC 3628

NGC 3628 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 9.5 and an angular diameter is 15×3.6 arc-minutes. The Equinox 2000 coordinates are RA= 11h 20.3m, Dec= +13° 35´.

The image above shows the cropped view of NGC 3628 through the ASA N12 Corrected Newtonian Astrograph (North is up). For wider view of this galaxy along with M65 and M66, see M65, M66 & NGC 3628 (ASA N12) .

NGC 3628 was discovered by William Herschel in 1784. Its distance is estimated at 35 million light years and it has a long tidal tail 300,000 light-years in length. Its most conspicuous feature is the broad and obscuring band of dust located along the edge of its spiral arms, that transects the galaxy. The dust band also appears twisted because NGC 3628 has been gravitaionally perturbed by its neighbors M65 and M66. The three galaxies together are referred to as the Leo Triplet or the Trio in Leo.

For more information, see the specific entries for NGC 3628 in Wikipedia, SEDS, and APOD.

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