The Core of Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1365
The barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 in Fornax is feeding material into its central region, igniting massive star birth and probably causing its bulge of stars to grow. The material also is fueling a black hole in the galaxy's core. A galaxy's bulge is a central, football-shaped structure composed of stars, gas, and dust. A barred spiral galaxy is characterized by a lane of stars, gas, and dust slashing across a galaxy's central region. It has a small bulge that is dominated by a disk of material. The spiral arms begin at both ends of the bar. The bar is funneling material into the hub, which triggers star formation and feeds the bulge. This image reveals only the core of the galaxy within its elongated bulge. The galaxy's two large and prominent spiral arms are well outside the field of view.
Image Credit: Allan Sandage (The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington) and John Bedke (Computer Sciences Corporation and the Space Telescope Science Institute), John Trauger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), NASA, ESA, Rainier Peleti, and C. Marcella Carollo (Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University)
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https://science.nasa.gov/image-detail/amf-810a2db0-6598-419a-bcc4-d67aa01d2716/
Image CreditAllan Sandage (The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington) and John Bedke (Computer Sciences Corporation and the Space Telescope Science Institute), John Trauger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), NASA, ESA, Rainier Peleti, and C. Marcella Carollo (Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University)
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