Prolate rotator galaxy

"Spindle Galaxy" redirects here. For the galaxy commonly referred to as the "Spindle Galaxy", see NGC 3115.

A prolate rotator galaxy, or spindle galaxy, is an unusual class of galaxy that is cigar-shaped and rotates around its long axis.^[1] A prolate rotator galaxy is an elliptical galaxy in prolate rotation,^[1][2] meaning they possess a significant amount of rotation around their major axis. To create a prolate rotator galaxy, two large spiral galaxies must collide at right angles.^[3] One forms the central bar, the other the disk. The bar then dominates the system.

As of 2017^[update], 20 such galaxies were known. Their existence is also predicted by large-scale cosmological simulations. ^[1][4]