A dwarf galaxy located 54 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices is undergoing a high-energy event captured by the NASA Hubble space telescope. The small galaxy is undergoing a process called ram pressure stripping, which causes unusually high levels of star formation in regions of the galaxy.

Gas and dust penetrating space exert pressure on galaxies. This resistance, called ram pressure, can keep a galaxy free of star-forming gas and dust or limit the formation of new stars. However, ram pressure can also compress gas in other regions of the galaxy, which can boost star formation. In this case, the galaxy appears to have no star formation at all along its edges, which bear the load stripped away by ram pressure, but star formation rates deep in the galaxy are exploding!

Image description:

A dwarf spiral galaxy. The centre is not very bright and is covered with some dust, while the outer disc and halo surround it as if it were swirling in water. Along the face of the galaxy, an arc of brightly glowing dots marks areas where new stars are forming. The galaxy is surrounded by small, distant galaxies on a dark background.