Hubble spies an intermediate spiral galaxy
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of a galaxy that fills the gap between barred spirals and unbarred spirals.
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This galaxy, named NGC 5861, lies about 85 million lightyears away in the constellation of Libra. Itâs an intermediate spiral galaxy, which means its shape is somewhere between a barred spiral galaxy, like our Milky Way, and an unbarred spiral galaxy.
Barred spiral galaxies like our home galaxy are so-called because they appear to have a bar-like structure of stars and gas running through their centre.
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Observatory Hubble Space Telescope
Release date 11 May 2020
Image credit ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess et al.