Captured with the MUSE instrument mounted on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), this image shows the innermost regions of the distant spiral galaxy NGC 5248, also known as Caldwell 45.

Located around 59 million light-years away from Earth, in the constellation of Boötes, this galaxy is notable for having not one but two rings around its centre. These rings are characterised by “hot spots” of starburst activity. Starburst regions, seen as an orange glow in the picture, are where stars form much more frequently than usual.

MUSE, which stands for Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, is attached to Yepun, one of the four 8.2-metre telescopes that make up the VLT. MUSE decomposes the light of every single pixel within its field of view into its constituent colours or wavelengths. This allows researchers to map complex mechanisms within extended objects, such as analysing the formation of stars in galaxies.

Credit:

ESO/TIMER survey

Coordinates
Position (RA):  	13 37 32.05
Position (Dec): 	8° 53' 7.49"
Field of view:  	1.05 x 1.04 arcminutes
Orientation:    	North is 0.0° right of vertical

Colours & filters      Band	Telescope
Optical B       	438 nm	Very Large Telescope MUSE
Optical G       	475 nm	Very Large Telescope MUSE
Optical R       	625 nm	Very Large Telescope MUSE
Optical N II    	658 nm	Very Large Telescope MUSE
Optical H-alpha 	656 nm	Very Large Telescope MUSE