Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  Helix Galaxy  ·  NGC 2685
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NGC 2685 Helix Galaxy, rdhand
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NGC 2685 Helix Galaxy

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NGC 2685 Helix Galaxy, rdhand
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NGC 2685 Helix Galaxy

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Description

NGC 2685 (also known as the Helix Galaxy) is an unusual lenticular galaxy with a polar ring structure. It is about 50,000 light-years across and about 42 million light-years distant. It is receding from Earth at 883 kilometers per second. It is an object of great scientific interest, because polar-ring galaxies are very rare galaxies. They are thought to form when two galaxies gravitationally interact with each other. Observations of NGC 2685 suggest that the rotating ring structure is remarkably old and stable. Two more distant edge on galaxies are visible in lower part of the picture.

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NGC 2685 Helix Galaxy, rdhand

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