Starburst Galaxy Photo Shows A Golden Swirling Cloud of Gas

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) recently shared the 'whirlpool of gold' of the starburst galaxy NGC 4303, also known as Messier 61. The galaxy is considered a laboratory for star formation and is one of the largest galactic members of the Virgo Cluster, categorized as a starburst galaxy.

ESO's Very Large Telescope captured the view of the starburst galaxy NGC 4303, which features the golden swirling gas clouds made up of ionized oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur. The telescope enables scientists to see its magnificence from 55 million light-years away.

A View Full of Baby Stars

According to a news release from ESO, the whirlpool of the gold photo is this week's feature image, which shows the spiral galaxy NGC 4304. It is a starburst galaxy with an unusually high number of stars being born and is used by astronomers as a laboratory to gain insights into the fascinating natural phenomenon of star formation.

Stars are made from clouds of cold gas that collapse, in which their energetic radiation will heat and ionize the surrounding gas. The ionized gas act as a beacon of ongoing star formation as seen from their brightness. The photo shows the stunning glowing gas that forms the whirlpool of gold where traces of stars being born is evident.

The combined observations from different wavelengths of light using the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) and the ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile resulted in the golden glow in the image. The ionized oxygen is represented with a blue color, while hydrogen is green, and sulfur is red.

The observations on starburst galaxy NGC 4303 are part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) project that aims to reveal nearby galaxies across all wavelengths.

About NGC 4303

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope first captured the photo of the starburst galaxy NGC 4303, which is about 55 million light-years away from Earth and about the same size as the Milky Way. The galaxy is most notable for its six supernovae, which place it above other galaxies.

In 2013, NASA/ESA released their photo of NGC 4303 that used the Hubble's Wide Field Camera 2. The image from Hubble Space Telescope allows scientists to study its structure, which features swirling clouds in stunning detail. Its vast arms are sprinkled in different colors representing new stars formed in hot, dense clouds of gas.

NGC 4303 is part of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster, which contains more than 1,300 galaxies and forms the central region of the even bigger collection of galaxies known as the Local Supercluster.

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