NASA just released this great image of spiral galaxy NGC 4565 (also known as the Needle Galaxy or Caldwell 38). It's located somewhere between 30 and 50 million light years away from our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and was discovered way back in 1785. It's about a third larger than the Milky Way.
What's so fabulous about it is its orientation: Its midline is perpendicular to our own axis, so we see a wonderful side-on view of the spiral galaxy. This latest image has such great detail of one half of the galaxy: the core if off to the lower right. The image is so detailed, you can even see the 'dustiness' of the galaxy, in stark contrast to its star-filled central regions.
The image was taken by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Here are some older images of the Needle Galaxy for your viewing pleasure.
