Spiral Galaxy NGC 4571 in Coma Berenices: A Star Factory | Hubble
A star-studded spiral galaxy shines in this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture. This galaxy is called NGC 4571, and it is located about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. NGC 4571 dominates the scene with its feathery spiral structure and sparkling star clusters.
The galaxy’s dusty spiral arms are dotted with brilliant pink nebulae that contain massive young stars. Though the star-forming clouds that are seen here are heated to roughly 10,000 degrees by searing ultraviolet light from the young stars at their cores, stars get their start in much chillier environments. The sites of star birth are giant molecular clouds tens to hundreds of light-years across where the temperature hovers just a few tens of degrees above absolute zero.
The dramatic transformation from freezing gas cloud to fiery young star happens thanks to the immense pull of gravity. This collects gas into dense clumps within a star-forming cloud. As these clumps yield to gravity’s pull and collapse inward, they eventually become hot and dense enough to spark nuclear fusion in their centers and begin to shine. The glowing clouds in this image surround particularly massive stars that are hot enough to ionize the gas of their birthplaces.
Image Description: A spiral galaxy, seen face-on, fills the view. Swirling, patchy and broken spiral arms surround a softly glowing center. The arms are filled with blue, speckled patches showing star clusters, shining pink and red dots where young stars are lighting up gas clouds, and a web of thin, dark red dust lanes. The glow of the galaxy’s arms extends out into the dark background. Individual tiny stars appear throughout.
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2025
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