Hubble spots galaxy NGC 4698 with a sideways-spinning core

The Hubble Space Telescope captured NGC 4698, a spiral galaxy about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. Its bulge sits at a right angle to the disk, and stars and gas near the center rotate perpendicular to the rest of the galaxy, likely the result of an ancient merger.

• NGC 4698 lies 55 million light-years away in Virgo
• Its bulge extends at a right angle to the disk
• Central stars and gas rotate perpendicular to the disk
• A supermassive black hole at its core is still growing