Wide-field view: Lenticular Galaxy ESO 381-12 in Centaurus | Digitized Sky Survey 2

Wide-field view: Lenticular Galaxy ESO 381-12 in Centaurus | Digitized Sky Survey 2

This image is from the Digitized Sky Survey 2. It shows the area around lenticular galaxy ESO 381-12 in the constellation Centaurus.

The strikingly uneven structure and the clusters of stars that orbit around the galaxy suggest that ESO 381-12 may have been part of a dramatic collision in its relatively recent past.

Lenticular galaxies are intermediate galaxies with a central bulge and disk like spirals but lacking spiral arms, containing mostly old stars and little ongoing star formation.

The Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) is a ground-based imaging survey of the entire sky in several colors of light produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute through its Guide Star Survey group.

Credit: NASA, ESA, Digitized Sky Survey 2 
Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin
Release Date: July 9, 2015

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