NGC 3923

The galaxy NGC 3923 shown here is located in the constellation Hydra (water snake) and is at a distance of over 90 million light years from Earth.

This is an elliptical galaxy, which is an example of a shell galaxy similar to those we know from onions. These shells can also be seen in this image.

It is not yet entirely clear how these shells are formed. It is assumed that this is due to so-called galactic cannibalism. A larger galaxy swallows the smaller accompanying galaxy “When the two centers approach each other, they first oscillate around a common center, and this oscillation ripples outward, forming the stellar shells, just as ripples spread out on a pond when the surface is disturbed.”

Many hours of image data collection went into this picture: Over 80 hours in total! This image of NGC 3923 is a cooperation project with my Australian colleague and friend Eric Benson, who is responsible for the raw data.

Coordinates:
RA: 11h 51m 01.7s
DC: -28° 48′ 22″

Exposure time:
85 hours