NGC 3718, a queen of distorted beauty – 8 April 2026
For sure, NGC 3718 is a very remarkable object, an iconic galaxy because of its unique shape, which was very well captured in our image below.
NGC 3718: 8 April 2026.
The image above comes from the sigma clipping combination of 18, 300-second, unguided exposures, unfiltered, remotely taken with the the Celestron C14+Paramount ME+SBIG ST10-XME robotic unit available as part of the Virtual Telescope Project in Manciano, Italy.
NGC 3718 is a fascinating and complex galaxy located in the constellation of Ursa Major, about 52 million light-years from Earth. It belongs to the category of barred spiral galaxies, but its structure is far from regular: what makes it particularly interesting to astronomers is its strongly distorted and asymmetric shape.
This deformation is likely the result of gravitational interactions with the nearby galaxy NGC 3729. The tidal forces generated by this encounter have bent the galactic disk of NGC 3718, creating a characteristic curved shape that resembles an elongated “S.” This structure suggests that galaxies are not static systems, but dynamic entities constantly evolving and often influenced by their surrounding environment.
Another distinctive feature of NGC 3718 is the presence of a large amount of gas and dust. These materials form a warped disk that extends well beyond the nucleus, contributing to the formation of new stars.
At the center of the galaxy lies a supermassive black hole: this active nucleus makes NGC 3718 an important object of study for understanding the relationship between galaxy evolution and that of their central black holes.
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