Explanation:
Does spiral galaxy NGC 2683 have a bar across its center?
Being so nearly like our own barred Milky Way Galaxy, one might guess it has.
Being so nearly edge-on, however, it is
hard to tell.
Either way, this gorgeous island universe, cataloged
as
NGC 2683, lies a mere
20 million light-years distant in the northern constellation of the Cat
(Lynx).
NGC 2683 is seen nearly edge-on in
this
cosmic vista, with more distant
galaxies scattered in the background.
Blended light from a large population of old yellowish stars forms
the remarkably bright
galactic core.
Starlight silhouettes the dust lanes along winding spiral arms, dotted
with the telltale blue glow of young star clusters
in this galaxy's star forming regions.
John Huchra 1948 - 2010
