April 25, 2007 9:13 AM PDT
The tilted disk galaxy NGC 5866 is classified as an S0 galaxy (pronounced S-zero) because of its shape (expanded view). It's considered a lenticular galaxy, a hybrid of a spiral galaxy (flat disk shape) and an elliptical (spherically rotund) galaxy. The dark line splitting the galaxy in half is a lane of space dust. Its slight crookedness indicates that the system may have had a near miss with another galaxy at some point causing a gravitational tidal disturbance.
Photo by NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
