The Subaru Telescope has captured an unusual galaxy featuring a polar ring.
Astronomers utilized the 8.2-meter optical Subaru telescope, located at the Mauna Kea Observatory on the Hawaiian volcano of the same name, to capture an image of the galaxy NGC 660, which features a polar ring.
2024-10-29 08:32:21https://naked-science.ru/community/1001585
The galaxy NGC 660 is located 45 million light-years away from Earth, directed towards the constellation Pisces. Its main feature is an elongated ring structure that surrounds the disk almost at a right angle. Notably, the diameter of the disk, which is 50 thousand light-years, is greater than the diameter of the galaxy itself.
Astronomers believe that NGC 660 acquired its ring approximately a billion years ago when it collided with another galaxy and captured its material. Over time, this matter formed the ring.