Sunny Priyan
This beautiful spiral galaxy is NGC 3507, which is situated about 46 million light-years away in the constellation Leo (the Lion).
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
NGC 3507’s classification is a barred spiral because the galaxy’s sweeping spiral arms emerge from the ends of a central bar of stars.
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
NGC 3507 travels the universe with a galactic partner named NGC 3501 that is located outside the frame.
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
While NGC 3507 is a quintessential galactic pinwheel, its partner resembles a streak of quicksilver across the sky.
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
For galaxies that are just a few tens of millions of light-years away, like NGC 3507 and NGC 3501, features like spiral arms, dusty gas clouds, and brilliant star clusters are on full display.
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
A much nearer object joins NGC 3507. The object is marked by four spikes of light: a star within the Milky Way, a mere 436 light-years away from Earth.
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA