NGC 2685, also known as the Helix Galaxy or Arp 336, is a rare and peculiar lenticular galaxy roughly 42 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Its tightly wound polar ring structure is a telltale sign of a cosmic merger in its past—where one galaxy may have cannibalized another, leaving behind this fascinating, misaligned system. Unusually, it appears both spiral and elliptical depending on the angle viewed, confounding early classification attempts.

In this 30-hour integration using a Celestron C8, the dusty structures surrounding NGC 2685 are rendered in exceptional detail. Faint galactic cirrus swirls through the field, and selective H-alpha filtering brings out subtle knots of emission. Together, the image offers a rare glimpse of this strange galaxy suspended in a softly glowing web of interstellar dust—an exceptional capture of both structure and environment.