NGC 2976 is not officially called "the paramecium galaxy" but that is what it looks like to me, so I hope that name "sticks".
Per Wikipedia:
NGC 2976 is a peculiar
dwarf galaxy[4] in the northern
circumpolar constellation of
Ursa Major. It was discovered by German-born astronomer
William Herschel on November 8, 1801, and catalogued as H I.285.
J. L. E. Dreyer described it as, "bright, very large, much extended 152°, star involved".
[10] It is a member of the
M81 Group[4] and lies 1° 20′ to the southwest of
Messier 81.
[11] The projected separation of this galaxy from the M81 Group is 190 kpc.
[6]The
morphological classification of this galaxy is SAa,
[7] which matches an
unbarred spiral galaxy (SA) with very tightly-wound
spiral arms (a). The actual visual form of the galaxy is a pure disk with no spiral arms or bulge. The luminosity and size of this galaxy is mid-way between the
Large and
Small Magellanic Clouds.
[4]De Vaucouleurs and associates classed it as type SAc, suggesting more loosely wound arms. It is inclined at an angle of 65° to the
line of sight from the
Earth.
[4]
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