Washington: Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a spiral galaxy - seen almost edge-on - that resembles a classic alien spaceship.
The galaxy, officially known as NGC 2683, was nicknamed ‘UFO Galaxy’ by astronomers at the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory in Cocoa, Fla, the Discovery News reported.
NASA has insisted that the side-on view gives scientists “a great opportunity to see the delicate dusty lanes of the spiral arms silhouetted against the golden haze of the galaxy’s core.”
The picture, released on Friday, also shows bright clusters of young blue stars scattered throughout the disc, revealing the galaxy’s star-forming regions.
Astronomers believe that NGC 2683 is a barred spiral galaxy, even though they cannot be seen that directly.
The image was produced from two adjacent fields observed in visible and infrared light by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys.
ANI
First Published: Monday, April 02, 2012, 12:41