NASA's famous telescope snaps a stunning galactic portrait

A new image published by the European Space Agency (ESA) has showcased, once again, the capabilities of a famous NASA telescope.

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The image published to the European Space Agency (ESA) website details spiral galaxy M99, which is located approximately 43 million light-years from Earth within the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy is described as a "grand design" spiral galaxy, which speaks to M99's "well-defined, prominent spiral arms". Notably, the above image was snapped by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 on two separate occasions.

Furthermore, only 10% of spiral galaxies are "grand design" spiral galaxies, and the first set of observations conducted by Hubble concentrated on stellar explosions called novas. The second set of observations focused on establishing a connection between young stars and clouds of cold gas where they form. Researchers aim to develop a deeper understanding of star formation through taking photographs of spiral galaxies such as M99.

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