In this #HubbleFriday image, the spiral galaxy NGC 3596, located about 90 million light-years from us, shines in all its beauty.

The Hubble telescope is looking almost directly at this galaxy from orbit near Earth, which gives us a clear view of its spiral arms.

The spiral arms of NGC 3596 contain regions where stars are born. These regions, with their bright pink color, show where gas and dust are concentrated. At the same time, young and hot blue stars can also be observed along these arms.

According to scientists, these spiral arms are not permanent structures; they are density patterns formed by the stars, gas and dust swirling around inside the galaxy. As these materials move through the galaxy, they pass through the spiral arms, where they slow down and get stuck for a while, and then continue on their way.

This can be likened to the motion of cars slowing down in a traffic jam and then speeding up again.

Image description:

A face-on spiral galaxy with a slightly oval-shaped disk. The center of the galaxy appears as a bright white dot surrounded by a golden glow. Two spiral arms extend out from the center, wrapping around the galaxy and expanding to form the thick outer edge of the disk. Thin bands of reddish dust and bright pink spots follow the arms across the disk. Faint bands of stars extend beyond the disk from the ends of the spiral arms.

 

Image credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker