SAEDNEWS: Many spiral galaxies have bars at their centers. Even the Milky Way features a relatively small central bar. One striking example of a barred spiral galaxy is NGC 1672, shown in NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day. This remarkable image was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
This image unveils remarkable details of the spiral galaxy NGC 1672: dark lanes of interstellar dust weaving across the galaxy, clusters of young, bright blue stars recently born, and a luminous bar of stars stretching through its central region.
Also visible are glowing nebulae, shining red due to Hα emission from ionized hydrogen gas, marking sites of active star formation. At the center of the image lies the galaxy’s bright and active core, likely harboring a supermassive black hole. NGC 1672 is classified as a Seyfert galaxy.
Light from this galaxy has traveled roughly 60 million years to reach us, meaning we see NGC 1672 as it appeared 60 million years ago. The galaxy spans about 75,000 light-years and resides in the constellation Dorado.
Studies of NGC 1672 have helped scientists explore the role of central bars in driving star formation within galaxies’ cores. These bar structures are thought to channel interstellar gas toward the galactic center, boosting the rate of new star births. Galaxies like NGC 1672—especially active examples—offer valuable insights into the evolution of spiral galaxies and how internal structures influence star formation. Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope captured images of NGC 1672, revealing its ringed gas structures and dust patterns along its spiral arms.
