NGC 3628 (Dec. 2012 - Feb. 2013)

 Full resolution image here.

This galaxy appears in the constellation Leo and sits 35±14 million light years away.  Its asymmetries are thought attributable to interactions with nearby galaxies.  NGC 3628 is renowned for looking like a ham sandwich.  Here the sandwich is upside-down, and the toothpick is sticking out of the bottom—the toothpick is the small satellite galaxy or ripped-off piece of NGC 3628 that appears just below it in this image.

My best visual view of the galaxy was through an 8" Newtonian reflector from a dark site at 40x magnification.  The galaxy was a long, ghostly glow with a dark lane down the center—quite a stunning sight!  This image is just luminance.

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT111EDT and William Optics AFR-IV (eff. at f/5.6)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9 (108x480" (14.4 hours)), Alnitak Flat-man flats
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX