Galaxy NGC 5584
Observed in 2010
The brilliant, blue glow of young, massive stars traces the graceful spiral arms of galaxy NGC 5584, creating a stunning display of stellar architecture. These hot, young stars illuminate the galaxy's structure, marking sites of recent star formation along the sweeping curves of its spiral pattern. Thin, dark dust lanes appear to be flowing from the yellowish core, where older, cooler stars reside in a more densely packed environment. This striking color contrast reveals the galaxy's stellar demographics—the blue arms represent stellar nurseries with ongoing star birth, while the golden center harbors ancient stars that formed billions of years ago. NGC 5584 has been particularly valuable to astronomers as a cosmic distance marker, containing Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae that help calibrate the cosmic distance ladder and measure the expansion rate of the universe, contributing to our understanding of dark energy and the fate of the cosmos.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Space Telescope