Violent Elegance
Situated roughly 52 million light-years away, NGC 3718 is a barred spiral galaxy that looks like no other. Its spiral arms are not neatly wound; instead, they are stretched and twisted into an elongated "S" shape.
This distortion is caused by its proximity to the spiral galaxy NGC 3729 (often seen in the same field of view). The gravitational interaction between the two has literally warped the disk of NGC 3718. The result is a dramatic, dark dust lane that appears to wrap vertically across the galactic core, silhouetted against the glow of billions of stars.
Imaging Challenges
- The Tidal Tails: To capture the very faint, wispy extensions of the "S" shape, you need exceptional sky transparency and very long total integration times.
- Hickson 56: Directly below NGC 3718 lies a tiny, tight cluster of five galaxies known as Hickson 56. Resolving these distinct "smudges" into individual galaxies is a test of your telescope's resolving power.
- Dust Lane Detail: The warped dust lane requires careful sharpening to maintain its "fibrous" look without introducing artifacts.
"NGC 3718 is a testament to the fact that even at a distance of millions of light-years, galaxies can reach out and fundamentally reshape one another."