The dazzling beauty of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 4731 has been captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Located 43 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo, this impressive sight reveals billowing gas clouds, bright pink star-forming regions and a prominent central bar. Such barred spiral galaxies make up about 60 per cent of all galaxies. The bright central bar is formed by stars and gas arranged in dense orbits. These rods carry matter and energy to support star formation. NGC 4731's spiral arms, influenced by nearby galaxies, extend far beyond this close-up view.

Image description:

Close-up view of a spiral galaxy with a bar. A bright bar passes through the centre of the galaxy and curves at its ends to form spiral arms, which continue out of the field of view. Around the bar are star-forming regions filled with bright points of light and dark dust streaks. The galaxy's gas clouds spread along the bar and arms, creating a dark background filled with some foreground stars and distant, small galaxies.

What do you see?