Caption: Among the most eye-catching of galactic systems are the barred spirals. One of the finest is NGC 1365, the largest spiral in the southern constellation of Fornax. The obvious "bar" has the nucleus of the galaxy at its hub and is surrounded by masses of cooler stars that appear yellow on color photographs. The bar itself is also yellowish, and has distinct dust lanes but it terminates abruptly in slender, curved arms that are lit by blue stars and the pink star-forming regions from which they spring. This beautiful galaxy is about as massive as the Milky Way, itself a substantial galaxy.
Copyright: (c) 1991 Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, photograph by David Malin
