Unraveling NGC
3169
Bright spiral galaxy NGC
3169 appears to be unraveling in this cosmic scene, played out some 70 million light-years
away just below bright star Regulus toward the faint constellation Sextans.
Its beautiful spiral
arms are distorted into sweeping tidal tails as NGC 3169 (left) and neighboring
NGC 3166 interact gravitationally, a common fate even for bright galaxies
in the local universe.
In fact, drawn out
stellar arcs and plumes, indications of gravitational interactions, seem
rampant in the deep and colorful galaxy group photo.
The picture spans 20 arc minutes, or about 400,000 light-years at the group's estimated
distance, and includes smaller, dimmer NGC 3165 at the right.
NGC 3169 is also known
to shine across the spectrum from radio to X-rays, harboring an active galactic nucleus that is likely the site of a
supermassive black hole.
