A dusty and ‘mysterious galaxy’ wins photo contest recognition

Steven Mohr captured this detailed view of galaxy NGC 3521 from Carrapooee, Victoria, in Australia to win top honours in the galaxies division of the 2018 Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition organised by the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Located some 26 million light years from Earth in the constellation Leo, NGC 3521 features “enormous amounts of surrounding dust and stray stars glowing far out from its disk,” according to the competition’s description. “Emerging from the photographer’s colour data was a bright array of contrasting colour tones, generated by aging yellow-red stars, younger burning aggressively blue-white stars, and various nebulae throughout the disk.”

NGC 3521, winner of the 2018 Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition in the galaxies division. Image: Steven Mohr

Mohr photographed NGC 3521 with a Planewave CDK 12.5 telescope using a variety of filters over a total exposure tie of 20.5 hours. His photo, along with other contest winners in different categories, are on display at the National Maritime Museum in London.