This 2019 image shows a spiral galaxy “looking off to the side”, in a sideways position relative to Earth.

Seeing a spiral galaxy from the side gives a clearer perspective on its three-dimensional structure. Such galaxies have the form of a thin, pancake-like disk, but at their centers are bright, spherical bulges filled with stars that extend above and below the disk.

NGC 3717 is located about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra.

Image description:

An edge-on spiral galaxy stretches across the image. Thick brown dust is illuminated by the bright galactic core. The black background of space is dotted with stars.

Image credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Rosario