Cosmic Oddity, Dwarf Galaxy DDO 68

This image shows a cosmic oddity, dwarf galaxy DDO 68. This ragged collection of stars and gas clouds is our own cosmic neighborhood. It is located about 39 million light-years away in the constellation Leo, the Lion. What makes it odd is that its stars contain very few heavy elements — ones that formed in supernovas at the conclusion of the galaxy’s earlier generation of stars. In this respect, it looks like a very young galaxy, one that would more likely be found in the earlier universe, far away. Even more perplexing is the fact that all the other galaxies in its vicinity don’t share this quality and actually look their ages.