Blue Bursts in Far Away Galaxy Captured by Hubble

The spiral galaxy IC 5052 is shown in this image captured by the Hubble space telescope, speckled with blue, white and yellow light that reveal something about its otherwise concealed structure. The galaxy is surrounded in the image by foreground stars in our own galaxy, and distant galaxies beyond, and emits a bright blue-white glow which highlights its narrow, intricate structure. It is viewed side-on in the constellation of Pavo (The Peacock), in the southern sky.

When the disk of a spiral galaxiy is viewed from the side like in this image, it is very difficult to analyze their structure and how they are arranged. Flashes of blue light can be seen across the galaxy's length, partially blocked out by weaving lanes of darker gas and dust. These are pockets of very powerful newborn stars, and help to reveal the structure of the galaxy because their existence indicates that their are "bars" connecting the spiral arms with the galactic core, which is the predominant type of spiral galaxies. Its pinwheeling arms do not begin from the center point but are instead attached to either end of a straight "bar" of stars that cuts through the galaxy's middle. Approximately two-thirds of all spirals are barred, including the Milky Way. These bars present in spirals like IC 5052 are thought to help the star formation processes by effectively funneling material from the swirling arms inwards towards these hot stellar nurseries.