NGC 5885 is a barred spiral galaxy located about 83 million light-years away in the constellation Serpens.
Seen nearly face-on, it reveals a classic barred spiral structure: a bright yellowish core anchored by a central bar, from which two prominent arms unfurl in sweeping arcs. These arms split and branch into finer structures as they curve outward, forming a multi-tiered spiral pattern characteristic of a galaxy in a state of steady, organized evolution.
The galaxy spans approximately 2.3 by 1.7 arcminutes in the sky, corresponding to a real size of around 55,000 by 41,000 light-years. The central bulge glows with the light of older stars, while the arms contain blue clusters of star formation.
Though NGC 5885 doesn’t show signs of recent disturbance, its outer arms appear slightly asymmetric, suggesting gentle tidal influences from past encounters or interactions with unseen companions.
Imaged in LRGB on my Planewave CDK 1000 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image acquisition and processing: Mike Selby