, ▁Northern ▁Ireland . ▁ ▁References ▁ ▁Category : 1 9 0 0 ▁birth s ▁Category : 1 9 8 9 ▁death s ▁Category : I r ish ▁mission aries ▁Category : Pro test ant ▁mission aries ▁in ▁Gh ana ▁Category : I r ish ▁Pent ec ost als <0x0A> </s> ▁NGC ▁ 6 6 0 ▁is ▁a ▁peculiar ▁and ▁unique ▁polar - ring ▁galax y ▁located ▁approximately ▁ 4 5 ▁million ▁light ▁years ▁from ▁Earth ▁in ▁the ▁P is ces ▁const ell ation . ▁It ▁is ▁the ▁only ▁such ▁galax y ▁having , ▁as ▁its ▁host , ▁a ▁" late - type ▁l entic ular ▁galax y ". ▁It ▁was ▁probably ▁formed ▁when ▁two ▁galaxies ▁coll ided ▁a ▁billion ▁years ▁ago . ▁However , ▁it ▁may ▁have ▁first ▁started ▁as ▁a ▁disk ▁galax y ▁that ▁captured ▁matter ▁from ▁a ▁passing ▁galax y . ▁This ▁material ▁could ▁have , ▁over ▁time , ▁become ▁" str ung ▁out " ▁to ▁form ▁a ▁rot ating ▁ring . ▁ ▁The ▁ring ▁is ▁not ▁actually ▁polar , ▁but ▁rather ▁has ▁an ▁incl ination ▁from ▁the ▁plane ▁of ▁the ▁host ▁disk ▁of ▁approximately ▁ 4 5 ▁degrees . ▁The ▁extreme ▁number ▁of ▁p ink ish ▁star - form ing ▁areas ▁that ▁occurs ▁along ▁the ▁galax y ' s ▁ring ▁could ▁be ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁the ▁grav itation ▁interaction ▁caused ▁by ▁this ▁collision . ▁The ▁ring ▁is ▁ 5 0 , 0 0 0 ▁light - year s ▁across ▁- ▁much ▁bro ader ▁than ▁the ▁disk ▁itself ▁- ▁and