NGC 3521 as the Milky Way near twin: spectral energy distribution from UV to radio decameter ranges

Abstract

Milky Way analogues (MWAs) are usually selected from structural and kinematic properties, but robust SED-based similarity criteria are limited by heterogeneous photometry and incomplete wavelength coverage. We present a homogeneous, aperture-photometry SED of the Milky Way near-twin NGC~3521 from the ultraviolet to the radio decameter range. Fluxes are measured within a fixed elliptical isophotal aperture using GALEX, SDSS, WISE, Spitzer/MIPS, Herschel/PACS+SPIRE, and VLA data, and supplemented by meter/decameter constraints. We report new observations obtained in Jan-Feb 2022 with the Ukrainian T-shape radio telescope and derive, for the first time, an upper limit in the 24--32~MHz band. The UV-to-decameter SED (27 points) is modelled with \textsc{CIGALE}, including a dedicated low-frequency radio prescription (\texttt{radio_extra}) that accounts for emission and absorption effects. Using ZTF and NEOWISE data (2014--2025), we detect genuine nuclear variability; optical trends at $\sim 2^{\prime \prime }$ primarily trace the compact nucleus, while NEOWISE variability reflects a mix of nuclear changes and warm-dust emission within the larger aperture. The preferred fit yields $M_{\star }\simeq 6.0\times 10^{10},M_{\odot }$, $\mathrm{SFR}\simeq 1.65,M_{\odot },{\mathrm{yr}}^{-1}$, $M_{\mathrm{dust}}\simeq 1.3\times 10^8,M_{\odot }$, and an effective dust temperature of $\sim 23$~K. The decameter constraint gives $S_{28,\mathrm{MHz}}<11.22$~Jy, consistent with expectations for a Milky Way-like system placed at 10.7~Mpc. We conclude that an integrated, homogeneous SED, especially below 100~MHz, provides a complementary diagnostic for identifying and validating MWAs and for interpreting how Milky Way properties would appear to an external observer.

19 pages, 10 figures, 6 tables, 4 appendices

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