Suggested Searches

A spiral galaxy with a disk that glows visibly from the center. It has faint dust threaded through it. A spiral arm curves around the left edge of the disk and is noticeably denser with bright blue spots that hold hot and new stars. On the opposite side, the disk stretches out into a short tail where it covers a distant background galaxy. Other distant galaxies and some nearby stars are visible are also visible in this image.

Hubble Sees a Celestial Cannonball

The spiral galaxy in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is IC 3225. It looks remarkably as if it was launched from a cannon, speeding through space like a comet with a tail of gas streaming from its disk behind it.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Sun

Image CreditESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Sun

Size1280x888px