Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 6217
Explanation:
Many spiral galaxies have bars across their centers.
Even our own
Milky Way Galaxy is thought to have a
modest central bar.
Prominently barred spiral galaxy NGC 6217,
pictured above, was captured in spectacular detail in this recently
released image taken by the newly repaired
Advanced Camera for Surveys on the
orbiting
Hubble Space Telescope.
Visible are dark filamentary
dust lanes, young
clusters of bright blue stars, red
emission nebulas of glowing hydrogen gas,
a long bright bar of stars across the center, and a bright
active nucleus
that likely houses a supermassive
black hole.
Light takes about 60 million years to reach us from
NGC 6217, which spans about 30,000
light years across
and can be found toward the
constellation of the Little Bear
(
Ursa Minor).
Note: An APOD editor will review great space images on 2010 Jan. 14 in Houghton, Michigan.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
