AAPOD2 Image Archives
NGC 1532 and Companion Galaxy NGC 1531
NGC 1532 is a massive barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus, seen here nearly edge-on. Its flattened disk stretches across the frame, marked by a bright central bulge, dark dust lanes, and faint bluish regions tracing spiral arms rich in young stars. The edge-on perspective emphasizes the galaxy’s impressive size, spanning well over 100,000 light-years, and reveals subtle vertical structure within the disk shaped by gravity and rotation.
Just above the main disk lies NGC 1531, a smaller companion galaxy whose distorted shape betrays a strong gravitational interaction. Tidal forces between the two systems are triggering star formation and warping NGC 1532’s spiral structure, effects that will continue to evolve over hundreds of millions of years. Scattered throughout the background are countless distant galaxies, adding depth and context to this dynamic scene within the Eridanus galaxy group.
NGC 3628: The Hamburger Galaxy
NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy or less commonly Sarah's Galaxy, is a striking edge-on spiral galaxy located about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. As part of the famous Leo Triplet along with M65 and M66, NGC 3628 offers a unique perspective, showcasing its warped and heavily dust-laden disk that appears like a cosmic sandwich.
Captured in RGB, this image highlights the galaxy’s prominent dark dust lane slicing across its glowing core. This dusty band obscures much of the galaxy’s starlight and gives NGC 3628 its distinctive “hamburger” shape. The outer edges of the galaxy also reveal faint tidal tails — evidence of past gravitational interactions with its neighbors in the Leo Triplet. These tidal tails extend for hundreds of thousands of light-years, stretching out as relics of galactic evolution.
Its faint ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX), detected near the galaxy’s outskirts. This intriguing object suggests the possible presence of either an intermediate-mass black hole or a binary system where material is being rapidly consumed, adding an additional layer of mystery to this well-known galactic neighbor.