NGC 3521

This image of the central region of spiral galaxy NGC 3521 is not out of focus. Instead, the galaxy itself has a soft, woolly appearance. NGC 3521 is a member of a class of galaxies known as flocculent spirals. Like other flocculent galaxies, NGC 3521 lacks the clearly defined, arcing structure to its spiral arms, and patches of stars and dust show up here and there throughout their disks. Sometimes the clusters of stars are arranged in a generally spiraling form, as with NGC 3521, but illuminated, star-filled regions can also appear as short or discontinuous spiral arms. About 30 percent of galaxies share NGC 3521's patchiness. NGC 3521 is located about 26 million light-years away and is found in the constellation Leo. For more information, visit: www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1538a/