Yum! Stargazers Serve Up Hamburger Galaxy in Cosmic Photo

Bob and Janice Fera captured this image of NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy, on March 10-11, 2013, from Eagle Ridge Observatory in Foresthill, Calif. The Feras used an Officina Stellare RC-360AST 14" f/8 Ritchey Chretien Cassegrain telescope with two-element field flattener to observe the galaxy. An Apogee Alta U16M CCD camera with Astrodon filters was used to capture the photo. (Image credit: Bob and Janice Fera )

This spectacular image of spiral galaxy NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy, is sure to satisfy even the most discerning viewers.

Astrophotographers Bob and Janice Fera took this image of NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy, on March 10 and 11 from Eagle Ridge Observatory in Foresthill, Calif. The Feras used an Officina Stellare RC-360AST 14" f/8 Ritchey Chretien Cassegrain telescope with two-element field flattener to observe the galaxy. An Apogee Alta U16M CCD camera with Astrodon filters was used to capture the photo.

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The Hamburger Galaxy NGC 3628 is an unbarred spiral galaxy located 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. The galaxy is viewed edge-one and many say the dark lane of dust and gas in the center appear to be sandwiched between the airy galactic disks. NGC 3628 is one member of a group called the Leo triplet and gravitational interactions with its neighbors might be what causes its unique shape.

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Nina Sen is a freelance writer and producer who covered night sky photography and astronomy for Space.com. She began writing and producing content for Space.com in 2011 with a focus on story and image production, as well as amazing space photos captured by NASA telescopes and other missions. Her work also includes coverage of amazing images by astrophotographers that showcase the night sky's beauty.