November 1, 1996
On this day, the universe repeated one of its rarest tricks: it arranged dust, light, memory, and possibility into a person no equation...
Spiral Galaxy NGC 3628 Edge On Credit:
Birthday · November 1, 1996
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APOD published November 1, 1996. Credit: Anglo-Australian Telescope Board. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
This is what a spiral galaxy looks like sideways. This view of NGC 3628 nearly resembles our own Milky Way Galaxy, which is also known to be a spiral. The dark band across the center is absorbed starlight caused by the galaxy's own interstellar dust. NGC 3628 is the faintest member of the Leo Triplet, a group of galaxies dominated by M65 and M66. The Leo Triplet lies about 35 million light years distant. The center of NGC 3628 emits variable X-ray radiation perhaps indicating the presence of a massive black hole.
Image credit: Anglo-Australian Telescope Board