Hubble Spies UFO Shaped Spiral Galaxy

Posted on March 31, 2012

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope spotted this spiral galaxy, which is seen almost edge-on, giving it the shape of a classic science fiction spaceship. Astronomers at the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, Cocoa, Fla., gave galaxy NGC 2683 the nickname, "UFO Galaxy."

NASA says a side-on view of a galaxy gives astronomers a great opportunity to "see the delicate dusty lanes of the spiral arms silhouetted against the golden haze of the galaxy's core." NASA also says that studies of the properties of the light coming from NGC 2683 suggest it is a barred spiral galaxy.

You can view a full-size image of the galaxy here.

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