![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/potw2433a.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>The subject of this NASA\/ESA\u00a0Hubble Space Telescope<\/a>\u00a0image\u00a0is situated in the Perseus Cluster, also known as Abell 426, 320 million light-years from Earth. It\u2019s a barred spiral galaxy known as MCG+07-07-072, seen here among a number of photobombing\u00a0stars\u00a0that are much closer to Earth than it is.<\/p>\n MCG+07-07-072 has quite an unusual shape for a spiral galaxy, with thin arms emerging from the ends of its barred core to draw a near-circle around its disk. It is classified as an SBc(r) galaxy: the c denotes that its two spiral arms are loosely wound, each only performing a half-turn around the galaxy, and the (r) is for the ring-like structure they create.<\/p>\n Rings in\u00a0galaxies\u00a0come in quite a few forms, from merely uncommon, to rare and scientifically important! Lenticular galaxies are a type that sit between\u00a0elliptical\u00a0and\u00a0spiral\u00a0galaxies. They feature a large disk, unlike an elliptical galaxy, but lack any spiral arms. Lenticular means lens-shaped, and these galaxies often\u00a0feature ring-like shapes\u00a0in their disks.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the classification of \u201cring galaxy\u201d is reserved for peculiar galaxies with a round ring of gas and star formation, much like spiral arms look, but\u00a0completely disconnected from the galactic nucleus\u00a0\u2014 or even\u00a0without any visible nucleus! They\u2019re thought to be formed in galactic collisions. Finally, there are the\u00a0famous gravitational lenses<\/a>, where the ring is in fact a distorted image of a distant, background galaxy, formed by the \u2018lens\u2019 galaxy bending light around it.\u00a0Ring-shaped images, called Einstein rings, only form when the lensing and imaged galaxies are perfectly aligned.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Media Contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n Claire Andreoli<\/strong> Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a> The subject of this NASA\/ESA\u00a0Hubble Space Telescope\u00a0image\u00a0is situated in the Perseus Cluster, also known as Abell 426, 320 million light-years from Earth. It\u2019s a barred spiral galaxy known as MCG+07-07-072, seen here among a number of photobombing\u00a0stars\u00a0that are much closer to Earth than it is. MCG+07-07-072 has quite an unusual shape for a spiral galaxy, [\u2026] Continue reading
NASA\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>Goddard Space Flight Center<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Greenbelt, MD<\/strong>
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nMonika Luabeya <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"