UGC 2885


UGC 2885 is a large barred spiral galaxy of type SAc in the constellation Perseus. It is from Earth and measures across, making it one of the largest known spiral galaxies. It is also a possible member of the Perseus–Pisces Supercluster.
UGC 2885 is a spiral galaxy with a relatively low surface brightness, but does not have as low of a surface brightness as other so-called giant low surface brightness galaxies.
UGC 2885 is classified as a field galaxy, being remarkably isolated from other galaxies. It is unknown how it got its cold gas which is necessary for star formation. NASA has reported that the theorized main source for disk growth for UGC 2885 came from the accretion of intergalactic hydrogen gas, rather than through the repeated process of galactic collision, as most galaxies are thought to grow.
The lack of interaction is evident from the near-perfect structure of the spiral arms and disk, lack of tidal tails, and modest rate of star formation—approximately 0.5 solar masses/year.
Additionally, despite being originally classified as an unbarred spiral galaxy, new Hubble images clearly show the presence of a small bar cutting across the ring structure of the core. This is peculiar, as most bars are thought to form through minor gravitational perturbations brought on by satellite and neighboring galaxies, which is something this galaxy lacks. This galaxy highlights that bars are able to form in spiral galaxies without the influence of another galaxy—this indicates that other forces, such as interactions between stars, gas and dust, as well as the gravitational influence of dark matter, might play a role in their development.

Supernovae

Two supernovae have been observed in UGC 2885: