The striking image you can see above was taken by the ESA (European Space Agency) that features a barrel spiral galaxy known as NGC 7773.
NGC 7773 is located approximately 357 million light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus. The galaxy was discovered by the British astronomer William Herschel on October 9, 1790.
A bright bar-shaped structure cuts through the core of the galaxy, extending its inner boundary. The barred structures such as this one (NGC 7773) are believed to act as stellar nurseries because they are covered in bright young stars, according to the ESA.
Experts also believe that the bar appears later in the lifetime of a galaxy when it has become more mature.
An amazing new image was captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFCS3). The camera is Telescope’s most technologically advanced instrument to take images in the visible spectrum. It was installed as a replacement for the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. WFC3 is responsible for many of Hubble’s most breathtaking and iconic photographs.
By studying galactic specimens such as NGC 7773 throughout the Universe, astronomers hope to learn more about the processes that have shaped – and continue to shape – our cosmic home, NASA noted.