The NASA Hubble Space Telescope has spotted the "UFO Galaxy." NGC 2683 is a spiral galaxy seen almost edge-on, giving it the shape of a classic science fiction spaceship. This is why the astronomers at the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, Cocoa, Fla., gave it this attention-grabbing nickname.
Čeština: Spirální galaxie NGC 2683 vyfocená Hubbleovým vesmírným dalekohledem. Obraz vznikl složením viditelného a infračerveného spektra. Úzký pruh horší kvality, který prochází vodorovně skoro celým obrazem, je způsobený mezerou v detektorech dalekohledu – tato část obrazu byla doplněna podle pozemních snímků, které jsou o poznání méně detailní. Zobrazené zorné pole je zhruba 6,5 × 3,5 úhlových minut. English: The NASA Hubble Space Telescope has spotted the "UFO Galaxy." NGC 2683 is a spiral galaxy seen almost edge-on, giving it the shape of a classic science fiction spaceship. This is why the astronomers at the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, Cocoa, Fla., gave it this attention-grabbing nickname. While a bird's eye view lets us see the detailed structure of a galaxy (such as this Hubble image of a barred spiral), a side-on view has its own perks. In particular, it gives astronomers a great opportunity to see the delicate dusty lanes of the spiral arms silhouetted against the golden haze of the galaxy’s core. In addition, brilliant clusters of young blue stars shine scattered throughout the disc, mapping the galaxy’s star-forming regions. Perhaps surprisingly, side-on views of galaxies like this one do not prevent astronomers from deducing their structures. Studies of the properties of the light coming from NGC 2683 suggest that this is a barred spiral galaxy, even though the angle we see it at does not let us see this directly. This image is produced from two adjacent fields observed in visible and infrared light by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. A narrow strip which appears slightly blurred and crosses most the image horizontally is a result of a gap between Hubble’s detectors. This strip has been patched using images from observations of the galaxy made by ground-based telescopes, which show significantly less detail. The field of view is approximately 6.5 by 3.3 arcminutes. Dansk: NGC 2683 er en spiralformet galakse, der her ses næsten fra siden, hvorved den ser ud som et klassisk science fiction-rumskib. Español: NGC 2683 es una galaxia espiral vista casi de canto, lo que le da el aspecto de una nave clásica de ciencia-ficción. Magyar: Az NGC 2683 spirálgalaxis a Hiúz csillagképben. Italiano: Galassia spirale NGC 2683 vista di profilo con una forma simile a quella di un classico disco volante. 日本語: NGC 2683 は、ほぼ真横から眺められる渦巻銀河。古典的な空想科学小説における宇宙船のような形に見える。 ქართული: სპირალური გალაქტიკა NGC 2683, რომელიც ძალიან წააგავს სამეცნიერო-ფანტატიკის კოსმოსურ ხომალდს. Македонски: Спиралната галаксија NGC 2683. Nederlands: NGC 2683 is een spiraalvormig sterrenstelsel bijna gezien van de zijkant. Русский: Галактика NGC 2683 из созвездия Рыси, видимая практически с ребра, что придает ей сходство с классической формой космического корабля из научно-фантастических произведений. Türkçe: Hubble Uzay Teleskobu'nun görüntülediği NGC 2683 Çubuksuz sarmal galaksisi