Produced by: Manoj Kumar
A single, sprawling arm of Arp 184 reaches toward Earth, giving this spiral galaxy a wildly off-balance but mesmerizing appearance.
Credit : ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, R. J. Foley (UC Santa Cruz), C. Kilpatrick
Nestled in the obscure constellation Camelopardalis—Latin for "giraffe"—this galaxy spins quietly 190 million light-years from Earth.
Arp 184 earned its name from the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, a 1966 collection of the universe’s strangest cosmic structures by Halton Arp.
Unlike typical spirals, Arp 184 flaunts just one brilliant, star-filled arm while its opposite side fades into ghostly gas and scattered stars.
With four recorded supernovae in just 30 years, Arp 184 is a stellar explosion hotspot, drawing astronomers eager to study dying stars.
This image was captured during short Hubble “Snapshot” sessions, quick observations squeezed into telescope downtime to uncover hidden gems.
Its twisted shape hints at past galactic collisions or close interactions, events that often sculpt such bizarre and beautiful forms.
Representative pic
Astronomers are captivated by Arp 184’s uneven beauty—proof that some of the universe’s finest designs come from cosmic chaos.
Combining strange structure and violent star death, Arp 184 isn’t just a pretty picture—it’s a dynamic marker of galactic evolution.