The Hubble Space Telescope has captured vivid images of the spiral galaxy Messier 77, one of the most famous and well-studied galaxies in the sky.
Messier 77 is a galaxy in the constellation of Cetus, some 45 million light-years away from us. Also known as NGC 1068, it is one of the most famous and well-studied galaxies.
The stunning image of a galaxy more than 45 million light-years away, shows a swirling mass of energy, with bright pink patches that show the formation of baby stars.
The galaxy is a favourite research subject among scientists, with more papers written about it than many other galaxies put together.
Despite its current fame and striking swirling appearance, the galaxy has been a victim of mistaken identity a couple of times.
