Galaxy NGC 891: An Edge-on Spiral Galaxy

Picture viewing the Milky Way galaxy from afar, but rather than looking down on its grand spiral design, you were to see it from the side, looking edge-on to its magnificent disk; that is exactly what we are seeing here, except not of the Milky Way galaxy, but a distant galaxy lying some 32 million light-years from earth. Clearly visible here is the galaxy's dust lane--the dark bar running along the length of its bright smear of light, as well as the central bulge. Also visible in this image are multiple other galaxies, farther away and fainter--roll over the image of an annotated version.