Positioned in the constellation Pisces, NGC 660 is an extraordinary polar-ring galaxy, lying an estimated 40 million light-years away from our planet Earth. This galaxy stands out due to its distinctive external structure enveloping its core.
Referred to as polar-ring galaxies, these cosmic entities are marked by an outer ring of stars and gas that encircles the galaxy's central nucleus. However, the outer ring of NGC 660 deviates from the norm as it's inclined at an angle of 45 degrees instead of being perfectly aligned with the galaxy's poles.
Astronomers theorize that such rings are the aftermath of a cosmic collision between two galaxies. In the case of NGC 660, the two galaxies implicated would be the spheroidal one, which now forms the system's nucleus, and a spiral galaxy that has generated the outer ring. This collision, believed to have occurred around a billion years ago, left a striking evidence in the form of pink star-forming regions visible within the ring. These regions are thought to have been incited by the tidal forces produced during the galaxies' collision. This cosmic phenomenon not only offers a visual spectacle but also provides valuable insights into the universe's dynamic nature.
Credit: NASA - Gemini Observatory, AURA.
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