--- title: "Astronomy Picture of the Day: 3/21/13 – NGC 6217" description: "[caption id=\"attachment_2699\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"630\"] CREDIT: NASA/Hubble[/caption]   This is the barred-spiral galaxy NGC 6217, and it can be found about 60-million light-years from our celestial home, in the constellation Ursa Minor.   This particular image is special because it was the first image taken with Hubble’s then-newly repaired Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). This was..." date: "2013-03-21" modified: "2013-03-21" authors: - name: "Joshua Filmer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/joshuafqtq" url: "https://futurism.com/astronomy-picture-of-the-day-32113-ngc-6217" categories: - "From Quarks to Quasars" --- # Astronomy Picture of the Day: 3/21/13 – NGC 6217 ![Default Futurism featured image]() [![293315\_435135446572870\_836753293\_n]()]() *CREDIT: NASA/Hubble* This is the barred-spiral galaxy NGC 6217, and it can be found about 60-million light-years from our celestial home, in the constellation Ursa Minor. This particular image is special because it was the first image taken with Hubble’s then-newly repaired Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). This was Hubble’s fifth and final servicing mission and was performed in May of 2009 by the crew of the Atlantis. As a side note, there was an IMAX movie created around this servicing mission called Hubble 3D (if you haven’t seen it, I suggest you find it). NGC 6217 was used for calibration and testing of the new ACS device. The galaxy itself displays a prominent bar and a stunning dust lane painted by dark filaments. You can see dozens of star-forming nebula, as well as the blue glow of hot, young star clusters. NGC 6217 spans about 30,000 light years, making it less than a third of the size of the Milky way. ## Author Joshua specializes in Mathematics and Physics at Portland State University.