NGC 4030 is a striking, unbarred spiral galaxy about 75 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It is seen near face-on with a symmetric structure and richly detailed spiral arms.
The galaxy spans about 3.3 × 2.6 arcminutes in the sky, which corresponds to a physical diameter of roughly 90,000 light-years—making it somewhat smaller than the Milky Way.
Its well-developed, multi-armed spiral structure is laced with bluish star-forming regions, along with scattered pinkish HII regions—a clear sign of ongoing star birth. The core is compact and luminous, smoothly transitioning into graceful spiral arms that wind outward without a central bar.
Classified as SA(s)c, NGC 4030 shows no sign of disruption or tidal distortion, suggesting a long period of quiet evolution in relative isolation. Background galaxies of various types and distances fill the field, adding further richness to the scene.
Imaged in LRGB on my Planewave CDK 1000 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image acquisition and processing: Mike Selby