IC 2574 is commonly known as Coddington’s Nebula after the American astronomer Edwin Coddington, who discovered it in 1898. Astronomers classify IC 2574 as a dwarf irregular galaxy due to its relatively small size and lack of organisation or structure. These galaxies are thought to resemble some of the earliest that formed in the Universe. Dwarf irregular galaxies thus serve as useful “living fossils” for studying the evolution of more complex galaxy types such as our home, the Milky Way, with its central bar and spiral arms. (via ESA/Hubble)