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Category B - Good Candidates (27 objects)

As shown in Figure 1, a polar-ring galaxy can be difficult to distinguish when viewed from certain projection angles, and can look like a fairly normal galaxy (i.e., an edge-on spiral galaxy with an abnormally spherical bulge, or a barred galaxy with ring-like arms). Category B includes systems that are oriented in such a way that we can be fairly sure the system is actually a polar-ring galaxy based on morphological appearance, but kinematic observations have not yet been made to confirm the classification.

  1. The projected major axis of the two components must be nearly orthogonal.

  2. The centers of the two components must be nearly aligned.

  3. The ring must be comparable in size to the inner component, must be luminous, and it must be nearly planar.