Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1300, Hubble Space Telescope image. It is known as a barred spiral as the arms radiate from a central bar (running left right) rather than radiating spirally from the nucleus itself as in most spiral galaxies. The factors leading to the formation of a bar are unclear. The arms are dominated by hot young blue stars and pink starbirth regions. The nucleus and bar comprise mainly older, redder stars and dust, which combine to give it a yellower appearance. NGC 1300 lies around 69 million light years from Earth in the constellation Eridanus. This image was taken in September 2004.
