Face-on spiral galaxy IC 342 (top) lies some 11 million light-years from Earth, just beyond the Local Group. A map of the galaxy’s magnetism (above) shows most of the field follows the arms, though a helical loop coils around the broad arm to the upper right of the nucleus.
T. A. Rector (University of Alaska, Anchorage)/H. Schweiker (WIYN and NOAO/AURA/NSF)