NGC 3628 is a spiral galaxy and the third member of the Leo Triplet, along with M65 and M66. It is around 35 million lightyears distant and approximately 150,000 lightyears in diameter, so significantly larger than our galaxy.
Possessing a prominent dust lane, the overall shape of the galaxy resembles that of a bone. Deep images have shown a tidal tail extending for twice the length of the galaxy, containing an estimated 15% of the galaxy’s mass. This is possibly due to a past interaction with M66.
This image is the result of 8h 30m of RGB data capture from Horsham, over nine evenings in March 2025. A ZWO ASI2600 MM Pro camera was used, through an 8-inch Teleskop-Service Ritchey-Chretien reflector.
Date: 31/03/2025
Location: Horsham, West Sussex
Photographer: Graham Wilcock
