Stellar Shells Around Lenticular Galaxy ESO 381-12

The ghostly shells of stars within lenticular galaxy ESO 381-12 are set against a backdrop of distant galaxies in this image. Lenticular galaxies have characteristics partly shared with spiral galaxies and partly with ellipticals. ESO 381-12 is located in the direction of the constellation Centaurus at a distance of 279 million light-years from Earth. The strikingly uneven structure and the clusters of stars that orbit around this galaxy suggest that ESO 381-12 may have been part of a dramatic collision sometime in its relatively recent past. Spiral galaxy ESO 381-13 (or PGC 42877), which may be interacting with ESO 381-12, is on the right edge of the frame.