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Polar ring galaxy NGC660, Rick Stevenson

Polar ring galaxy NGC660

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Polar ring galaxy NGC660, Rick Stevenson

Polar ring galaxy NGC660

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Description

NGC660 is an unusual polar ring galaxy approximately 45 million light years away in Pisces. Polar ring galaxies have an outer ring of gas and stars that rotates over the poles of the galaxy. They are thought to be created by tidal accretion of matter from another passing galaxy or by galactic mergers. In the case of NGC660, the ring is actually at a 45 degree angle to the poles which makes it more likely to have been formed by accretion. It is also a starburst galaxy with star formation happening at an extremely rapid rate.

There are two revisions of the image. The first is the full field and the second is a crop of the region around NGC660.

The data for this image was captured at SRO in California between Dec 2015 and Feb 2016,

Acquisition credit: John Kasianowicz, Daniele Malleo, Leonardo Orazi, Rob Pfile, Rick Stevenson and Jerry Yesavage.

Processing credit: Rick Stevenson

Comments

Revisions

  • Polar ring galaxy NGC660, Rick Stevenson
    Original
  • Polar ring galaxy NGC660, Rick Stevenson
    B
  • Final
    Polar ring galaxy NGC660, Rick Stevenson
    C

Histogram

Polar ring galaxy NGC660, Rick Stevenson