This object is a barred spiral galaxy located 120 million light years away in the constellation of Pegasus at a declination of +12 degrees. This magnitude 10.8
Seyfert galaxy spans 3 arc-minutes in our apparent view, which corresponds to a diameter of 120,000 light years.
The yellow core contrasts with the blue arm structure. The dust bands are distinct and discontinuous. Several bright star clusters are visible. But the star attraction here is the fascinating galaxy arm structure.
The central and mid arm sections are similar, but the 2 outer arms are wildly different. The sharply defined right side takes a large, almost constant radius for 180 degrees. The left side is more diffuse but even more interesting, appearing to be twisted around out of plane. I believe that this galaxy is a
polar ring galaxy, but I have not been able to find confirmation of this. We do not have a 3D viewing perspective and so it is hard to tell.
What caused this disturbance? There is no obvious visible companion. As with many objects I image, this one has a mystery that will be solved sometime in the future.
This object has been burdened with the Propeller Galaxy, the Superman Galaxy, and the Snake Galaxy nicknames. Will 2021 be the year that we stop this nickname insanity? Probably not.
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