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Spiral Galaxy UGC 2885

Spiral galaxy with sweeping spiral arms.
This Hubble Space Telescope photograph showcases the majestic spiral galaxy UGC 2885, located 232 million light-years away in the northern constellation Perseus. The galaxy is 2.5 times wider than our Milky Way and contains 10 times as many stars. A number of foreground stars in our Milky Way can be seen in the image, identified by their diffraction spikes. The brightest star photobombs the galaxy's disk. The galaxy has been nicknamed "Rubin's galaxy," after astronomer Vera Rubin (1928 – 2016), who studied the galaxy's rotation rate in search of dark matter.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    03:53:02.46
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +35:35:22.17
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Perseus
  • 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.
    232 million light-years
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is 5 arcmin across (about 338,000 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.
    The HST observations include those from program 15107 (B. Holwerda).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    WFC3/UVIS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    Dec 2017 - Jan 2019
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F435W, F606W, F814W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    UGC 2885
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Large Spiral Galaxy
  • Release Date
    January 5, 2020
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Hubble Surveys Gigantic Galaxy
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, Benne Holwerda (University of Louisville)

Downloads

  • 2000 × 1500
    png (4.43 MB)
  • Full Res, 9917 × 7438
    png (130.92 MB)
  • Full Res, 9917 × 7438
    tif (162.22 MB)
Spiral galaxy with sweeping spiral arms.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/UVIS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F435W Green: F606W Red: F814W

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Spiral galaxy with sweeping spiral arms on a dark background with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference.

Compass Image of UGC 2885

Image of Spiral Galaxy UGC 2885, with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference. The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative to...

Spiral galaxy with sweeping spiral arms.

Zoom into UGC 2885

This video is an animated zoom into the location of the immense spiral galaxy UGC 2885. We begin with a view of the autumn northern constellation Perseus. We look across 232 million light-years of space to see the full expanse of the galaxy, which is over two times the width of...

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 12, 2025
Contact
Media

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

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