The golden spiral arms of a distant galaxy shine in this new image from the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
That galaxy, known as NGC 4254 or Messier 99, is an example of a large spiral galaxy design, with prominent, well-defined spiral arms that wrap tightly around the galactic center. NGC 4254 is located 49 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices, and hosts a stellar nursery sparkling with clouds of gas ionized by newborn stars, according to permission give THAT.
ESO shares new images, captured by the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at the observatory very large telescope (VLT) In Chile, on March 14, this image shows the galaxy’s bright spiral arms “in fantastic detail,” according to the statement.
Taking pictures: Stunning views of outer space from the ESO Huge Telescope
The MUSE VLT instrument combines a wide field of view with precise spatial sampling and a large simultaneous spectral range. The instrument is of a type called an integrated field spectrometer (IFS), which allows astronomers to measure light intensity as a function of color or wavelength.
The latest images of NGC 4254 combine observations made in different wavelengths of light. Image shows a cloud of gas ionized by newborn starWhere hydrogen is represented in red, oxygen is represented in blue, and sulfur is represented in orange, according to the statement.
The observations of NGC 4254 were collected as part of the Physics at High-Angle Resolution in the Near Galaxy (PHANGS) project, which aims to study the Nearest galaxy Across all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum to understand the cycle of star formation in galaxies.
Follow Samantha Mathewson @Sam_Ashley13. Follow us in twitter @Spacedotcom and continue Facebook.
–
