Reported from SciencealertMonday (21/3/2022), this galaxy is spiral galaxy with prominent, well-formed spiral arms. In the latest image, NGC 4254 appears much more refined, as it reveals interstellar gas ionized by the newborn star.
Although the galaxy does not produce stars at a high enough rate to categorize it as a stellar explosion galaxy, its activity is three times higher than the average for galaxies of its type.
Astronomers think this could be due to interactions with other galaxies, millions of years ago. The clue to this support lies in one of the spiral arms of NGC 4254, which appears looser and longer than the others.
This ancient interaction would disrupt NGC 4254, causing enough compression in its molecular gas to trigger increased star-forming activity.
Its relatively close proximity to the Milky Way, and the angle from which we can see it, combine to make NGC 4254 an excellent example for studying the process of star formation.
The MUSE image was taken as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) project. The project takes high-resolution multi-wavelength images of nearby galaxies to study the entire star birth cycle.
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