The distinctive spiral of the
slot Messier 66 (M66) galaxy radiates golden and purple gas in this striking new image, released by the European Southern Observatory
ESO's Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) used a range of light wavelengths to distinguish between chemical elements in the galaxy and capture the vibrant result. The multiple observations revealed a selection of gasses — oxygen, hydrogen and sulfur — ionized by young stars. The image was released by ESO on May 2.
The image uses a unique cosmic color palette: blue represents the ionized oxygen, red the hydrogen and orange the sulfur. Because stars are born in clouds of gas, a useful way to analyze star formation is to observe the behavior of gas in the galaxy.
