Sharp telescopic views of magnificent edge-on spiral galaxy NGC
3628 show a puffy galactic disk divided by dark dust lanes. The
tantalizing scene puts many astronomers in mind of its popular
moniker, The Hamburger Galaxy. About 100,000 light-years across
and 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo, NGC
3628 shares its neighborhood in the Universe with two other
large spirals, a grouping otherwise known as the Leo Triplet.
Gravitational interactions with its cosmic neighbors are likely
responsible for the extended flare and warp of this spiral's
disk, populated by the galaxy's star clusters and tell tale
pinkish star forming regions. Also a result of past close
encounters, a faint tail of material is just visible extending
upward and left in this deep galaxy portrait.