From the April 2009 issue

How do the bars in barred spirals form?

Terry Burke, Marquette, Nebraska
By | Published: April 27, 2009 | Last updated on May 18, 2023

NGC 1300
NGC 1300 is a barred spiral galaxy.
NASA/Hubble/STScI/AURA

Galactic bars form when stars in circular orbits around a galaxy’s center start to stretch out into more oval, or elliptical, trajectories.