A blue whirlpool in the river: Tranquil galaxy home to violent events
Wednesday, August 1, 2012 - 09:01
in Astronomy & Space
The galaxy NGC 1187 is seen almost face-on, which gives us a good view of its spiral structure. About half a dozen prominent spiral arms can be seen, each containing large amounts of gas and dust. The bluish features in the spiral arms indicate the presence of young stars born out of clouds of interstellar gas.