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NGC 2276 Wide-Field

On a black, starry background are three bright objects in a horizontal row at the center: a bright star, a large spiral galaxy, and a smaller yellow galaxy.

This pair of galaxies are close enough together they are in a "tug of war" as they pass close enough to feel each other's gravitational pull. This is evident in the lopsided appearance of the blue galaxy on the left, NGC 2276. It is being pulled by the neighboring galaxy on the right, NGC 2300. There is a stark difference in color between the galaxies. NGC 2276 is rich in new star formation along its spiral arms. The companion, NGC 2300, consists of aging yellow-white stars and lacks any spiral arm structure. The dynamic duo lies 120 million light-years away in the northern constellation Cepheus.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    07:28 48.83
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    85:44:35.06
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Cepheus
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    120 million light-years

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    NGC 2276
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Wide-field image of spiral galaxy NGC 2276
  • Release Date
    May 27, 2021
  • Science Release
    Hubble Views Lopsided Galaxy NGC 2276
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, STScI, Adam Block (Steward Observatory)

Downloads

  • 1350 × 1100
    tif (1.96 MB)
  • 1350 × 1100
    png (1.39 MB)

Related Images & Videos

On a black, starry background is a large spiral galaxy filled with streaks of blue and pink. Its right-side arm appears to be breaking away from the rest of the galaxy.

NGC 2276

The magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 2276 looks a bit lopsided in this Hubble Space Telescope snapshot. A bright hub of older yellowish stars normally lies directly in the center of most spiral galaxies. But the bulge in NGC 2276 looks offset to the upper left. In reality, a...

Annotated image of a large spiral galaxy filled with streaks of blue and pink on a black, starry background, with compass arrows, a scale bar, and color key for reference. Its right-side arm appears to be breaking away from the rest of the galaxy.

NGC 2276 Compass

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 11, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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