Hi,

This is an image of NGC 3621. It is a field spiral galaxy about 22 million light years away in the constellation Hydra. A field galaxy is one that is not a member of a galaxy group. This galaxy is about 93,000 light years in diameter, making about the size of our galaxy. I often have people ask me why we can see something this far away. The answer is this galaxy (and others) has a luminosity 13 billion times brighter than our sun. That is one very bright candle.

Comments and suggestions appreciated.

http://www.azstarman.net/CDK/NGC3621.htm

Thanks,

Bernard