Day 12 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: A Barred Spiral. This galaxy, NGC 5335, is categorized as a flocculent spiral galaxy, displaying a striking barlike structure across its center. The bar channels gas inwards toward the galactic center, fueling star formation. NGC 5335 lies about 235 million light-years away, seen here head-on, backdropped by dozens of other, more distant galaxies.

See the full advent calendar here, where a new image will be revealed each day until December 25.