Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  Helix Galaxy  ·  NGC 2685
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NGC 2685 - Helix Galaxy, James E.
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NGC 2685 - Helix Galaxy

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NGC 2685 - Helix Galaxy, James E.
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NGC 2685 - Helix Galaxy

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Description

NGC 2685 in Ursa Major is a polar ring galaxy - a rare type of galaxy with stars, gas and dust orbiting in rings perpendicular to the plane of a flat galactic disk.  Polar ring galaxies are thought to form when two galaxies gravitationally interact with each other.  Observations of NGC 2685 suggest that the rotating ring is remarkably old and stable.  It is about 50000 light years across and 40 million light years away.

A couple of other galaxies in the image include the edge-on PGC25034 and the face-on 2MASX J08560053+5843582.

Imaged over several nights:  Feb 3-6, 2024.

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    NGC 2685 - Helix Galaxy, James E.
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    NGC 2685 - Helix Galaxy, James E.
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NGC 2685 - Helix Galaxy, James E.