H-NGC3521
Galaxy in Leo
About
A flocculent spiral galaxy in Leo, nicknamed the Bubble Galaxy, about 35 to 37 million light-years away. Faint shells around it are likely stellar debris from small galaxies it absorbed. William Herschel found it in 1784; it is in the Herschel 400.
Imaging tips
- About 11′ × 7′: 2200–3670 mm on APS-C or 3380–5630 mm on full frame covers a third to half of a frame about 24′ wide.
- One imager notes dust forming short filaments that seem to rise out of the disk; the outer shells are faint.
- One imager spent 16 hours 5 minutes: 6 h 20 min luminance, 6 h 45 min RGB and 3 h Hα, in a 36′ × 29′ frame.
- It sits near the celestial equator, reaching only 40° from 50°N; best in February and March.
Facts
- Size
- 11′ × 7′
- Magnitude
- 8.9
- Coordinates
- RA 11h 5.8m, Dec −0° 2′
- Framing, APS-C
- 2200–3670 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 3380–5630 mm
- Best months
- Feb, Mar
- Peak altitude
- 40° from 50°N, 55° from 35°N