A perfect example of a barred spiral galaxy
A perfect example of a barred spiral galaxy. Today’s Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features NGC 613, a galaxy that is located 67 million light years away in the southern constellation of Sculptor.
The galaxy was first discovered by German-English astronomer William Hershel in 1798. This new image from the Hubble Space Telescope reveals the defined central bar and long arms of NGC 613, which is known as a barred spiral galaxy. A perfect example of a barred spiral galaxy
According to the ESA, about two thirds of spiral galaxies, including our own Milky Way, contain a bar.
Scientists have recently determined that bars are more common in galaxies now than they were in the past. This discovery provides new insight into the formation and evolution of galaxies.Spiral galaxies form a class of galaxy originally described by Edwin Hubble in his 1936 work The Realm of the Nebulae and, as such, form part of the Hubble sequence. Most spiral galaxies consist of a flat, rotating disk containing stars, gas and dust, and a central concentration of stars known as the bulge. These are often surrounded by a much fainter halo of stars, many of which reside in globular clusters.
Image Credit: European Space Agency
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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer
