The Gorgeous Galaxy NGC 6384

This finely detailed image shows the beautiful barred spiral galaxy NGC 6384. Located in the constellation Ophiuchus and close to the Milky Way’s galactic plane, NGC 6384 is seen as a background object to many dazzling foreground Milky Way stars that are scattered across this image. In the center, star formation is being fueled by the galaxy’s bar structure; astronomers think such galactic bars funnel gas inward, where it accumulates to form new stars.