NGC 5584 is a graceful barred spiral galaxy located about 75 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo, well beyond the core of the Virgo Cluster.
Seen nearly face-on, the galaxy displays a classic multi-arm spiral structure, richly detailed in this deep view. Its arms are laced with blue star-forming knots and fine dust lanes, winding outward from a compact yellowish core.
Spanning about 2.9 by 2.2 arcminutes, NGC 5584 measures roughly 63,000 by 48,000 light-years across—a modest spiral in size, but one of great scientific significance.
This galaxy is known for having hosted several Type Ia supernovae, including SN 2007af, and serves as a key calibrator in the cosmic distance ladder. With well-observed Cepheid variables and supernova light curves, NGC 5584 has played an important role in refining measurements of the Hubble constant, which describes the rate of expansion of the universe.
The spiral arms appear flocculent and irregular rather than grand and continuous, giving the galaxy a dynamic, slightly chaotic texture. The bright blue patches trace recent star formation, while the smooth central bulge reflects an older, more stable stellar population.
Imaged in LRGB on my Planewave CDK 1000 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image acquisition and processing: Mike Selby