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NGC 3621

NGC 3621 is a spiral galaxy in the Hydra constellation, around 22 million light years from earth.

 

This galaxy is a so-called “pure-disk” galaxy. Many galaxies have a “bulge” at their center. Very simply put, their central region is populated by a very tight density of stars which shows as a bulging glow when viewed from our vantage point. This galaxy doesn’t have that (and is hence labeled as “pure-disk”). So why is that?

 

As with many things in astronomy, we’re not quite sure yet. However, the best explanation we have so far is that these central bulges are actually the result of galaxies interacting gravitationally with another galaxy during their lifespan; causing all sorts of turmoil resulting in the central regions getting more densely populated. This galaxy (and various other ones like it for that matter) would quite simply not have been involved in such an encounter.

 

Setup:

 

Planewave CDK24

Moravian C3-61000 Pro

Planewave L-600

 

Image acquisition details:

 

23x900” Luminance

14x900” HA

20x900" Red

22x900" Green

21x900" Blue

 

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Uploaded on April 10, 2023