NGC 2903: Barred Spiral in Leo

Imaged on 2/4/05
Scope: Takahashi MT160
Mount: Losmandy G-11
Camera/Autoguider: SXV-H9c; SBIG STV
Exposures: 18 x 5 minutes
Site: Anza Borrego Desert
Temp: 32 degrees, calm

NGC 2903 is 20 million light years away. Bar systems such as this one, provide an efficient mechanisms for fuelling star birth at their center cores. The reddish color is light reflecting from large amounts of dust located in the galaxy's bar.