VLT Views Spiral Galaxy in Exquisite Detail

The galaxy NGC 1187 has hosted two supernova explosions during the last 30 years, the latest one in 2007, which is still faintly visible in this picture and is marked with a circle. (ESO)

This new photo from the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) is the most detailed image ever taken of the spiral galaxy NGC 1187.

NGC 1187 is located about 60 million light-years away in the southern constellation of Eridanus. It was discovered by English astronomer William Herschel in 1784.

The image shows several spiral arms with bluish areas due to patches of young stars forming from the clouds of dust and gas.

At the galaxy’s center is a bar structure, which is thought to gather gas from the spiral arms for star formation.

The galaxy has hosted two relatively recent supernovas—one in 1982 and the other in 2007. The remnants of the second explosion, SN2007Y, are still visible at the bottom of this picture.

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