Gemini South captures twisted dusty disk of NGC 4753, showcasing the aftermath of past merger

The lenticular galaxy NGC 4753, captured by the Gemini South telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory operated by NSF's NOIRLab, is a truly remarkable object. Its prominent and complex network of dust lanes that twist around its galactic nucleus define its 'peculiar' classification and are the likely result of a galactic merger with a nearby dwarf galaxy about 1.3 billion years ago.