This beautiful barred spiral galaxy is found in the constellation Leo,
and is about 20 million light years from earth. Its long, graceful arms
are decorated with several bright blue star clusters, and its inner
section is marked by a slightly chaotic-looking web of dust lanes
and red nebula regions, evidence that this galaxy is forming stars
at an unusually high rate near its center. The central bar in this
galaxy is also more subtle than in most galaxies of this type, appearing
as a band of brighter yellowish light cutting across the inner core
of the galaxy. In the background are several other more distant galaxies.

Image data:
Telescope: Hyperion 12.5"
Camera: SBIG-STL-11000
Exposure: 11.75 hours (Luminance = 6 1/2 hours; RGB = 1.75 hours each)