Hubble sees magnificent barred spiral galaxy 65 million light-years away

This image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the magnificent central bar of NGC 2217 (also known as AM 0619-271). Located in the constellation of Canis Major, this barred spiral galaxy is approximately 65 million light-years away from Earth and spans about 100,000 light-years across, mirroring the size of our own Milky Way.

The central region of NGC 2217 is densely packed with stars, forming the luminous bar, surrounded by a set of tightly wound spiral arms. The central bar plays a critical role in the galaxy's evolution by channelling gas from the outer parts towards the galaxy's core. This gas and dust is vital for both star formation and the growth of the galaxy's central supermassive black hole.

Supermassive black holes with a mass several hundred million times that of our Sun are present in almost all large galaxies.

See the bar of stars going through the galaxy NGC 2217?The bar in this #HubbleFriday image helps funnel gas from the galaxy's disk into the middle of the galaxy.Then, it's formed into new stars or fed to the black hole at the galaxy's center: https://t.co/Rh6AX8TvpG pic.twitter.com/YvUddzLn0i

— Hubble (@NASAHubble) April 26, 2024

Launched on April 24, 1990, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, Hubble has been a vital research tool for the scientific community. Located in low Earth orbit, the observatory provides astronomers with clearer and more detailed images of space than are possible from ground-based telescopes.

Hubble's science operations are on hold due to an issue with one of its gyroscopes. The telescope is currently in safe mode while the mission team investigates the problem and identifies potential solutions to resume normal operations.