The strange 'Helix Galaxy' is unlike any other in the universe

The spiral galaxy is a rare "polar ring" galaxy found near the Big Dipper. Its strange shape and history set it apart from all other galaxies we know.

Why it has become so special and important. This is a perfect new image of NGC 2685. Known as the "Helix Galaxy" or "Pancake Galaxy". It is the most unusual galaxy in the world known as an unusual galaxy.

Galaxies are neighborhoods of the visible universe. Homes are gas, dust, and all the stars and planets, are held together by gravity, and have some specific types. According to NASA, the most common are elliptical galaxies, which look circular and usually contain older stars. Then there are spiral galaxies, like our Milky Way, where the stars are arranged in arms that give a gear-like appearance.

But NGC 2685 fits none of these types. It is classified as a lenticular galaxy because it has a central bulge but no spiral arms. As this image from the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii shows, it also contains rings of gas, dust, and stars that orbit in loops perpendicular to the flat plane of the galaxy. It is this peculiar property that gives it the additional description of a "polar ring" galaxy. The new image is an update of a 1998 image taken from the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

Lenticular galaxies are thought to be old spiral galaxies whose arms have faded, although NGC 2685's unique structure may be the result of two or more galaxies colliding and merging over millions of years. According to NOIRLab, current research suggests that NGC 2685's current structure arose when it captured material from another galaxy that was strained into an encircling ring.

NGC 2685 can be found near Ursa Major, a prominent group of stars in the constellation Ursa Major.