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9. Fomalhaut Dust Ring
Found Year: 1920
It was discovered by Heber Curtis.
Where: The Andromeda Galaxy
The closest major galaxy to Earth is the Andromeda Galaxy, a barred spiral galaxy located about 2.5 million light-years from Earth. Heber Curtis, an American astronomer, observed dark lanes that resembled the dust clouds found in the Andromeda Galaxy in 1920.
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Dust Ring of Formalhaut ©NASA Image Collection/Alamy
The Andromeda Galaxy's dust rings are visible in pictures because they are composed of a variety of chemical compounds that glow in the infrared. The dust rings are formed during star birth and star death, and they trace the spiral structure of the galaxy.
10. Galaxy of Needle's Eye
Found Year: 1795
It Was Discovered by William Herschel
Place: Berenice Coma
Situated in the Coma Berenice constellation, Needle's Eye Galaxy (NGC 4565) is an edge-on spiral galaxy that is roughly 30 to 50 million light-years away from Earth. William Herschel made the first discovery of Needle's Eye Galaxy in 1785, and it is located close to the North Galactic Pole.
The Needle's Eye Galaxy ©JPL-Caltech/Wikimedia/NASA
Famous for having an odd hole on one side of its core, the Needle's Eye Galaxy is thought to have been created by a collision with dark matter. The galaxy's narrow profile is where its name comes from. It is well known that the Needle's Eye Galaxy is brighter than the Andromeda Galaxy.
