A spiral galaxy in Leo

This picture of the nearby galaxy NGC 3521 was taken using the FORS1 instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope, at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. The large spiral galaxy lies in the constellation of Leo (The Lion), and is only 35 million light-years distant. This picture was created from exposures taken through three different filters that passed blue light, yellow/green light, and near-infrared light. These are shown in this picture as blue, green, and red, respectively.

Credit:

ESO/O. Maliy

About the Image

Id:eso1129a
Type:Observation
Release date:10 August 2011, 12:00
Related releases:eso1129
Size:2046 x 2046 px

About the Object

Name:NGC 3521
Type:Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral
Distance:35 million light years
Constellation:Leo
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

Large JPEG
2.0 MB
Screensize JPEG
204.6 KB

Zoomable


Wallpapers

1024x768
231.1 KB
1280x1024
443.7 KB
1600x1200
794.3 KB
1920x1200
1.1 MB
2048x1536
1.1 MB

Coordinates

Position (RA):11 5 46.32
Position (Dec):0° 1' 52.04"
Field of view:6.83 x 6.83 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 90.0° right of vertical

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Optical
B
Very Large Telescope
FORS1
Optical
V
Very Large Telescope
FORS1
Infrared
I
Very Large Telescope
FORS1