[6] This second bar is more prominent in infrared images of the central region of the galaxy, and likely arises from a combination of dynamical instabilities of stellar orbits in the region, along with gravity, density waves, and the overall rotation of the disc.

The spiral arms extend in a wide curve north and south from the ends of the east–west bar and form an almost ring like Z-shaped halo.

[6] Astronomers think NGC 1365's prominent bar plays a crucial role in the galaxy's evolution, drawing gas and dust into a star-forming maelstrom and ultimately feeding material into the central black hole.

[7] NGC 1365, including its two outer spiral arms, spreads over around 300,000 light-years.

These observations, announced in February 2013, were made using the X-ray telescope satellite NuSTAR.