NGC 3169 is located approximately 76 million light-years away in the constellation of Sextans.Also known as LEDA 29855 or UGC 5525, the spiral galaxy was discovered by the German-born British astronomer William Herschel in 1783.NGC 3169 is a member of the Leo I Group of galaxies, which is part of a larger galactic congregation known as the Virgo Supercluster.The galaxy is located relatively close to another spiral galaxy, NGC 3166.The distance between them is just 50,000 light-years, a separation that is only about half the diameter of our Milky Way Galaxy.The two comprise a physical pair and influence each other gravitationally. NGC 3169’s arms, shining bright with big, young, blue stars, have been teased apart, and lots of luminous gas has been drawn out from its disk. The galaxy’s bright center is encircled by thick dust lanes. “Cosmic dust comprises a potpourri of particles, including water ice, hydrocarbons, silicates, and other solid material,” Hubble astronomers said. “It has many origins and sources, from the leftovers of star and planet formation to molecules modified over millions of years by interactions with starlight.”