Barred spiral galaxy NGC 2903 is only some 20 million light-years distant. Popular among amateur astronomers, it shines in the northern spring constellation Leo, near the top of the lion's head. That part of the constellation is sometimes seen as a reversed question mark or sickle. One of the brighter galaxies visible from the northern hemisphere, NGC 2903 is surprisingly missing from Charles Messier's catalog of lustrous celestial sights . This colorful image from a small ground-based telescope shows off the galaxy's gorgeous spiral arms traced by young, blue star clusters and pinkish star forming regions. Included are intriguing details of NGC 2903's bright core , a remarkable mix of old and young clusters with immense dust and gas clouds. In fact , NGC 2903 exhibits an exceptional rate of star formation activity near its center, also bright in radio, infrared , ultraviolet, and x-ray bands . Just a little smaller than our own Milky Way, NGC 2903 is about 80,000 light-years across.
Media Credits & Attribution
Image Credit & Copyright: Tony Hallas