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.

                                2025 June 19
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                        NGC 3521: Galaxy in a Bubble
                Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Vikas Chander

   Explanation: [5]Gorgeous spiral galaxy NGC 3521 is a mere 35 million
   light-years away, toward the northern [6]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 [7]M66 and M65. It's hard to overlook
   in this colorful cosmic portrait though. Spanning some 50,000
   light-years the galaxy sports [8]characteristic patchy, irregular
   spiral arms laced with dust, pink star forming regions, [9]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
   [10]undergone mergers with NGC 3521 in the distant past.

                        Tomorrow's picture: lunistice
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    Authors & editors: [22]Robert Nemiroff ([23]MTU) & [24]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([25]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [26]Specific rights apply.
            [27]NASA Web Privacy, [28]Accessibility, [29]Notices;
                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC,
                         [33]NASA Science Activation
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2506/NGC3521-2048.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.instagram.com/vikaschanderastrophotography/
   5. https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/hubble-shears-a-woolly-galaxy
   6. https://earthsky.org/favorite-star-patterns/spring-triangle-regulus-arcturus-spica/
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210320.html
   8. https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.03653
   9. https://arxiv.org/abs/1312.2399
  10. http://www.cosmotography.com/images/galaxy_formation_and_evolution.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250618.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  15. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  17. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  20. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250619
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250620.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  25. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/