Grand Design
Grand Design Spiral Galaxy (credit: Hubble Space Telescope, NASA, ESA)
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured remarkable images from its space-high perch. This Grand Design spiral galaxy is another example.
Accoriging to NASA, all spiral galaxies have a structure that are basically alike, some have patchy, oddly shaped arms, some have bars of stars cutting through their core, some are colossal and radiant, and others are dim and diminutive. This grand spiral is designated NGC 5364 is irregular. Its arms are asymmetrical compared to other spirals and this is thought to be due from interactions with a neighboring galaxy. The two galaxies are tugging at each other, warping and moving their stars and gas causing the misshapen appearance.
Still, the massive structure contains over 100 billion stars and sits nearly 45 million light-years away.
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