Hubble telescope captures stunning image of starbursts in Virgo

Interested in galaxies? We have got something for you.

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Hubble telescope captures stunning image of starbursts in Virgo

Interested in galaxies? We have got something for you.

Images of a galaxy turning gas into newborn stars were shared online and the internet just couldn't handle itself.

The galaxy seemed to be turning gas into newborn stars faster than it can replenish its gas supply and is churning out new stars at a prodigious rate.

The stunning new images were captured by the Hubble Space Telescope suing Hubble's wide field camera 3.

IMAGE: EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY/HUBBLE & NASA

NGC 4536 is found within the Virgo constellation, 50 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy boasts several regions of intense star formation. The star formation frenzies within NGC 4536 are bolstered by an intense concentration of gas.

Astronomers aren't sure exactly how the galaxy came to possess so much gas. It's possible NGC 4536 acquired it during a galactic collision.

Stars born in starburst regions tend to burn fast and die young, consuming large amounts of gas very quickly. This makes them easy to identify. Their insatiable appetite gives off massive amounts of ultraviolet light, which excites nearby hydrogen atoms and turns nearby gas clouds into a kaleidoscope of blues and yellows.