As well as hosting a busy stellar nursery, barred spiral galaxy NGC 3351 is also a place where massive stars die in dramatic style – the most recent being SN 2012aw in March 2016.
The latest observations of NGC 3351, which includes the image shown here, have also shown stellar feedback in action.
Stellar feedback is the process of redistributing energy into the interstellar medium (the space between the stars).
In NGC 3351, star formation is occurring in the ring around the galaxy nucleus at such a violent rate that massive bubbles of hot gas can be seen as they’re ejected.
This ejected gas can then contribute to star formation within the galaxy.
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Observatories: Atacama Large Millimeter Array, Hubble Space Telescope, Very Large Telescope
Release date: 2 September 2019
Credit: ESO/R Leaman/D Gadotti/K Sandstrom/D Calzetti
