Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

NGC 660: Polar Ring Galaxy

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 18, 2024 is “NGC 660: Polar Ring Galaxy,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby). The original explanation runs about 131 words.

A dark starfield has an unusual galaxy in the center. This galaxy has a spindle-like shape showing two dust lanes -- one running vertically and one running diagonally from the upper left. Please see the explanation for more detailed informa
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What kind of strange galaxy is this? This rare structure is known as a polar ring galaxy , and it seems to have two different rings of stars.”

— APOD editors, December 18, 2024

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 18, 2024
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 131 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.