NGC 3137, is a flocculent spiral galaxy located in the constellation Antlia, approximately 55 million light-years away.
Its structure consists of patchy, loosely wound spiral arms, characteristic of flocculent spirals, where star formation occurs in a more scattered and irregular pattern rather than in well-defined arms.
The central core appears denser, likely consisting of older stars, while the outer regions contain younger stellar populations and interstellar dust.
NGC 3137 is part of the Antlia Cluster, a relatively small and loose group of galaxies.
The background includes numerous distant galaxies, some appearing as faint smudges or elongated streaks. The image provides a detailed view of this galaxy’s flocculent structure along with its surrounding cosmic environment.
Imaged in LRGB on my Planewave CDK 1000 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image acquisition and processing: Mike Selby