Telescope Reveals New Images of Grand Spiral Galaxy Found 240 Years Ago

A telescope recently captured an image of a grand spiral galaxy that was first discovered over 200 years ago.

Last month, the European Southern Observatory released a composite picture taken by its Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array.

"In this picture of the week, we can see the well-defined arms of the spiral galaxy NGC 4254, also known as the Coma Pinwheel or Messier 99. It's called a grand design spiral galaxy because of its distinctive pinwheel shape with prominent arms. Since Charles Messier first observed it in the 18th century, modern technology has allowed us to observe galaxies like this in significantly greater detail," the European Southern Observatory said in a press release with the picture.

According to the press release, the data from the VLT captures blue and purple tones of the galaxy, which map the distribution of stars. Additionally, the data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array shown in red and orange colors "originates from cold clouds of gas which can eventually collapse into stars."

"Comparing these two datasets allows for a better understanding of how stars form," the press release said. "This will allow astronomers to learn more about the diverse range of galactic environments found in our universe."

The European Southern Observatory also posted the picture on its Twitter page as a "picture of the week."

Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, a media officer for the European Southern Observatory told Newsweek that the images of the spiral galaxy were part of a larger project "designed to better understand how stars are born."

"We know they form out of the collapse of gas clouds, but what triggers this? Does this happen in the same way everywhere within galaxies, or are there regions where star formation is boosted or hindered? How does the evolution of stars affect the formation of subsequent generations of stars?" Munoz-Mateos said. "To answer those questions, astronomers need to map the distribution of gas –– the raw material out of which stars form –– and the distribution of already formed stars. By comparing both they can then figure out how the conversion from gas to stars actually works."

"This image shows precisely that: the gas as seen by ALMA, an array of radio telescopes where ESO is a partner, and the stars mapped with ESO's Very Large Telescope. The VLT data were taken with an instrument called MUSE, which provides a wealth of information about the age of the stars, their composition, and how their radiation affects the gas around them. This is a perfect example of how combining observations at different wavelengths taken with different facilities allows astronomers to answer complex questions," Munoz-Mateos added.

The photo from the observatory comes as scientists around the world continue to capture new images from space with help from technologically advanced telescopes.

In October, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released photos from its popular James Webb Telescope that captured "never-before-seen details of [the] early universe."

The James Webb Telescope is the largest and most powerful telescope in the world, according to NASA. The space agency said that it hopes the telescope will "solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it."

In a press release sharing the images captured by the James Webb Telescope, NASA said, "The nature of galaxies during this early period of our universe is not well known nor understood. But with the help of gravitational lensing by a cluster of galaxies in the foreground, faint background galaxies can be magnified and also appear multiple times in different parts of the image."

Update: 11/9/22 12:36 p.m. ET. This story has been updated to include further comments from the European Southern Observatory.