Although barred galaxies usually see “a burst of star formation followed by a slow decay,” NGC 1087 piques researchers’ interest because it indicates ongoing new star formation, the agency said. This galaxy can also help shed light on the interplay between young stars and cold gas, NASA noted, plus “what happens to gaseous regions after stars are formed within them.”
Credit: NASA, ESA, R. Chandar (University of Toledo), and J. Lee (Space Telescope Science Institute); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)