Photo Agency - Astronomy - Space - Nature

> Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1672 in Dorado

Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1672 in Dorado

author: NASA/ESA/R.Gendler/Novapix

reference: a-gax16-72003

Image Size 300 DPI: 29 * 21 cm

As a prototypical barred spiral galaxy, NGC 1672 differs from normal spiral galaxies, in that the arms do not twist all the way into the center. Instead, they are attached to the two ends of a straight bar of stars enclosing the nucleus. Viewed nearly face on, NGC 1672 shows intense star formation regions especially off in the ends of its central bar. NGC 1672 is also classified as a Seyfert galaxy. Seyferts are a subset of galaxies with active nuclei. The energy output of these nuclei can sometimes outshine their host galaxies. This activity is powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes. NGC 1672 is more than 60 million light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Dorado. These observations of NGC 1672 were taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys in August of 2005.

Keywords for this photo:

2005 - 2010 - ACS - ACTIVE GALAXY - ACTIVE GALAXY NUCLEUS - ASTRONOMY - BARRED SPIRAL GALAXY - BLACK HOLE - DORADO - GALACTIC BLACK HOLE - GALAXY - HST - HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - NGC 1672 - SEYFERT GALAXY - SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE - STAR - STAR CLUSTER - STAR FORMATION - SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE - YOUNG STAR -