Sextans A

Sextans A, also known as UGCA 205, is a small dwarf irregular galaxy. It is about 8,000 light-years wide and is located 4.6 million light-years away. It is found in the area around the Local Group of galaxies, which includes our own Milky Way galaxy.

Sextans A has a unique square shape. This shape came about because big, short-lived stars exploded, creating more star formation and more explosions. This process made the galaxy spread out into a shell shape. Today, we can see young, blue stars in these areas, especially around the edges, making the galaxy look roughly square from Earth. The Gran Telescopio Canarias, a very large telescope, has studied the bright stars that light up these regions.

This galaxy is interesting to astronomers because it shows us how smaller galaxies form stars and change shape over time.