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https://app.astrobin.com/u/MichaelCR97?i=fzx3b1
✨ NGC 3521: The Bubble Galaxy
This is NGC 3521, a beautifully messy spiral galaxy in Leo that doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it deserves.
Unlike clean textbook spirals, this one is wrapped in chaotic dust lanes and huge, faint dusty “bubbles”. Probably debris from past interactions.
What I love about NGC 3521 is how dynamic and alive it looks. The inner spiral arms are tight and bright, while the outer halo is filled with wispy structures and and irregular shells.
🤓 Facts:
• Galaxy type: Flocculent spiral galaxy
• Constellation: Leo
• Distance: ~35 million light-years
• Its asymmetric dust structure earned it the nickname “The Bubble Galaxy”
by MichaelCR970