NGC 4565 Needle Galaxy

The magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4565 is seen edge-on from planet Earth. Due to its slender profile, it is often called the Needle Galaxy. It resides in the faint but elegant constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp, colorful image reveals the galaxy's central bulge, crossed by lanes of light-absorbing dust that adorn its thin galactic plane. The distance to NGC 4565 is about 40 million light-years, and its size spans roughly 100,000 light-years. Imaged on March 29 and 31, 2023. Full calibration, Moon approximately 50%.