A Galactic Oddball

The dwarf galaxy NGC 1705 is featured in this image. This diminutive galaxy lies in the southern constellation Pictor, and is approximately 17 million light-years from Earth. NGC 1705 is a cosmic oddball. It is small, irregularly shaped, and has recently undergone a spate of star formation known as a starburst. Despite these eccentricities, NGC 1705 and other dwarf irregular galaxies like it can provide valuable insights into the overall evolution of galaxies. Dwarf irregular galaxies tend to contain few elements other than hydrogen or helium, and are considered to be similar to the earliest galaxies that populated the universe.