Most galaxies can be categorized into well-defined classifications - they are either spiral-shaped, elliptical, or irregular-shaped. However, there are a few galaxies that defy all attempts at classification.

The universe contains nearly 100 and 200 billion galaxies. With such astronomical numbers, you can bet there are quite a lot of real weirdos out there. Beyond our Milky Way, some galaxies consume other galaxies, some very oddly shaped, and some galaxies even seem to lack the dark matter that pervades the rest of the universe. Check out some of the most bizarre galaxies in the universe.

Like a Jellyfish: Galaxy ESO 137-001

Galaxy ESO 137-001 lies in the constellation of Triangulum Australe, and it has a close resemblance to a jellyfish swimming amid a vast sea of stars. It is a barred spiral galaxy — the stars within the ESO 137-001 form a spiral shape with a bar-shaped centre. But there's a twist: there are streamers of stars that appear to drift like the tentacles of a jellyfish.

The Black Eye Galaxy: M64

If it is possible for a galaxy to hold an evil aspect, this colourful galaxy, M64 does it perfectly. The Black Eye galaxy derives its red colour from hydrogen, implying that new stars are born in large numbers, but the strange part is that the objects within the galaxy consist of two contra-rotating systems. The inner part of the system rotates in one direction, while the dust and stars present in the outer parts rotate in the other direction. It is difficult to ascertain, but the contra-rotation of the two systems was probably caused as the result of a recent merger between two galaxies (approximately 1 billion years old).

The Southern Pinwheel: M83

Our universe is filled with plenty of beautiful galaxies, but the M83 is one of the most beautiful, even if beauty lies only in the eye of the beholder. The galaxy is peculiar owing to the large number of supernova explosions that occurred within it. At present, there are eight active supernovas within the galaxy that are under observation, but the researchers have found the remains of a hundred more. The M83 has active star-forming regions, which appear pink, caused as a result of the generation of an enormous amount of UV light by millions of young, nascent stars that act on surrounding clouds of gas and dust.

Two hearts: NGC 7674

Some galaxies contain two black holes instead of one. NGC 7674 is one of them - a spiral galaxy with a pair of black holes, just a mere light-year apart, in its centre. The NGC 7674 galaxy (approximately 400 million miles away from Earth) probably attracted the spare black hole during a collision and merger with another galaxy.

All the strange galaxies have just one thing in common; they seem more like artistic impressions than tangible and real collections of millions of stars.