Barred Spiral Galaxy
Example: NGC 1300
A spiral galaxy with a straight bar of stars across its centre. Our own Milky Way is one.
Key facts
- Shape
- Spiral arms starting from a central bar
- How common
- About two-thirds of spiral galaxies
- Includes
- The Milky Way and Andromeda
- Example shown
- NGC 1300
- Example’s distance
- About 60 million light-years
About the Barred Spiral Galaxy
How to recognise it
A barred spiral has a bright bar of stars, gas and dust running through its centre, with spiral arms starting at the ends of the bar. NASA notes that barred spirals make up about two-thirds of spiral galaxies, and that a bar is thought to be a sign of a mature galaxy.
The example: NGC 1300
NGC 1300, about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Eridanus, is considered a classic example of a barred spiral. Both the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy belong to this type.
Sources
Facts checked: 29 October 2026
