APOD 4.6

This APOD is an image of NGC 3628 (the Hamburger Galaxy) in the constellation Leo. This galaxy is about 100,000 light years across and has a faint tail that extends from the left part of the galaxy. The tail itself is 300,000 light years in length, extending off of the above image. The tail's presence may be due to gravity and tidal forces from it's neighbors M65 and M66. These three galaxies are known as the Leo Triplet. I chose this APOD because we have recently started doing citizen science and have been classifying galaxies on the site.