The Hubble Space
Telescope has captured an image of a spiral galaxy with bars that can help
understand the Milky Way.
Most of the known
spiral galaxies fall into this category of "slash" - which is defined
by its pronounced structure bars across their centers.
The existence of this
structure can indicate the age of the galaxy.
Two thirds of the
nearest galaxies are young and bar, while only a fifth of the oldest and most
distant have it.
The new image is a
milestone in the long history of the Hubble Space Telescope in the stunning
astronomical imaging.