Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
This image shows the galaxy Messier 94, which lies in the small northern constellation of the Hunting Dogs, about 16 million light-years away.
Within
the bright ring around Messier 94 new stars are forming at a high rate
and many young, bright stars are present within it – thanks to this,
this feature is called a starburst ring.
The cause of this
peculiarly shaped star-forming region is likely a pressure wave going
outwards from the galactic centre, compressing the gas and dust in the
outer region. The compression of material means the gas starts to
collapse into denser clouds. Inside these dense clouds, gravity pulls
the gas and dust together until temperature and pressure are high enough
for stars to be born.
Source: ESA/Hubble - Space Telescope
