© 2021 Michael A. Siniscalchi
NGC 3359
Galaxy in Ursa Major
RA:10h 45m 45s Dec: +63° 14' 02"
Distance - 59 mly Size - 4 arcmin
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NGC 3359 is a barred spiral galaxy located 59 million light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ursa Major. It was discovered on November 28, 1793 by the astronomer William Herschel.The central bar is approximately 500 million years old.
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For one it has over 100 large star forming regions, far more than most spiral galaxies and for another, the bar is thought to be only 400 to 500 million years old while the galaxy is likely at least 10 billion years or older.
The circular pinwheel shape with the easily recognized spiral arm structure makes it straightforward to classify this object as a spiral galaxy, however, it is the presence of the straight ‘bar’ in the center of the galaxy that distinguishes NGC 3359 from many other spirals. Recent research has shown that the central bar in this galaxy is relatively young; it is only 500 million years old (as compared to the several billion year age of the galaxy). Astronomers are still trying to understand how large features like the bar form and how long they last as a galaxy like NGC 3359 evolves. In addition to its central bar NGC 3359 is known for its many regions of star formation (so-called [H II] regions) that are visible across its disk. In this image the [H II] regions are seen as the light red patches visible throughout the image. There are approximately 100 [H II] regions in NGC 3359 which makes it an example of intense star formation. An example of an [H II] region in our own galaxy, where many tens of young stars have recently been born, is the famous Orion Nebula.
