This striking cosmic whirl is the center of galaxy NGC 524, as seen in this fascinating space wallpaper. This galaxy is located in the constellation of Pisces, some 90 million light-years from Earth. NGC 524 is a lenticular galaxy. Lenticular galaxies are believed to be an intermediate state in galactic evolution—they are neither elliptical nor spiral. This image shows the shape of NGC 524 in detail, formed by the remaining gas surrounding the galaxy’s central bulge. This image was released July 22, 2013.
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