Stunning images of nearby galaxies show how stars are formed: Look

Star Power by Jennifer Walter Updated: Feb. 20, 2024 Originally Published: July 16, 2021 xponentialdesign via Giphy

FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT Antu, ESO How do stars form? It’s a question that’s fascinated researchers for a long time.

Shutterstock Today, we know that clouds of gas give birth to stars, but the early stages of formation are still a mystery. That’s why it helps to capture images of stars when they’re young, so researchers can better understand their chemical composition and how they develop.

Here are a few gorgeous snapshots: Guang Cao/Moment/Getty Images

Galaxy NGC 4303. The warm, golden spots signify the birthplaces of new stars. © ESO/PHANGS

Galaxy NGC 4254. Cooler colors, like blue and purple, mark the location of older stars. © ESO/PHANGS

The photos weren’t captured in a single snap — rather, multiple telescopes on Earth and in space took shots at different wavelengths: radio, visible light, and near-infrared.

Here’s a demonstration of how researchers layered images of NGC 4303 to create a single composite. European Southern Observatory (ESO)

© F. Santoro & T. Müller (HdA)/PHANGS/MUSE This helps researchers capture a more complete picture of our neighboring galaxies. Here’s a visual representation, below, of how colors across the electromagnetic spectrum are layered for each image.

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Stunning images of nearby galaxies show how stars are formed: Look

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