A dusky spiral galaxy with a close in swirl of bright blue stars

M61 (NGC 4303)

Messier 61 (M61) is a type of galaxy known as a starburst galaxy. Starburst galaxies experience an incredibly high rate of star formation, hungrily using up their reservoir of gas in a very short period of time (in astronomical terms). But this is not the only activity going on within the galaxy; deep at its heart there is thought to be a supermassive black hole that is violently spewing out radiation.

Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Det58