Image Credit: NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Legacy Archive (STScI/NASA, ST-ECF/ESA, CADC/NRC/CSA)
Image & Colors processing: Exoplanet.sg
M96 Galaxy
There are three types of spiral galaxy – barred spiral galaxy (our Milky Way Galaxy), unbarred spiral galaxy and intermediate spiral galaxy. M96 Galaxy does not has a clear central bar structure and does not has clear spiral arms from the center as in the unbarred spiral galaxy. M96 spiral structure is in between barred and unbarred thus it is classified as an intermediate spiral galaxy. Located in the constellation Leo, M96 lies about 31 million light-years away and it is the brightest galaxy in the M96 Group of galaxies. The unusual non-symmetrical structure is believed to be caused by gravitational pulls from the other galaxies in the M96 Group or possible past interactions with other galaxy.