Amateur astronomers call NGC 4535 the Lost Galaxy because, through simple telescopes, it appears as a foggy, ghostlike shape floating in the constellation Virgo. This image reveals much of the structure characteristic of S(B)c galaxies: the delicate, widespread arms of the S-shaped spiral; the tiny, bright nucleus. Also typical of S(B)c galaxies, the arms appear to be attached to extensionsΓÇö
collectively referred to as a ΓÇ£barΓÇ¥ΓÇöjutting from the galactic center. The dim areas between the arms are dust lanes; the bright zones inside them are areas of star formation.
