NGC3521

Wonderful spiral galaxy NGC 3521 is only 35 million light-years away, toward the northern springtime constellation Leo. Relatively bright in planet Earth's sky, NGC 3521 is easily visible in small telescopes often overlooked by amateur imagers in favor of other Leo spiral galaxies, Spanning some 50,000 light-years the galaxy sports characteristic patchy, irregular spiral arms laced with dust, pink star forming regions, and clusters of young, blue stars.