NGC 2903

NGC 2903

NGC 2903 is a beautiful barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo. It was found by the astronomer William Herschel on November 16, 1784. At first, people thought it was a double nebula, but later they saw it was a spiral galaxy.

This galaxy is about 30 million light-years from our Milky Way. It is part of the Virgo Supercluster. It has a barred shape with spiral arms that are not very tightly wound. Most of its stars are in the outer parts, with fewer in the center.

In the center of NGC 2903, there is a busy area where new stars are forming fast. This happens because gas moves along the bar of the galaxy. Nearby, there is a small irregular galaxy called KKH 51 that seems to move with NGC 2903.