Like firecrackers lighting up the sky on New Year’s Eve, the majestic spiral arms of this galaxy are alight with new stars being born. The Hubble Space Telescope (NASAHubble) saw this spiral galaxy, NGC 5559, with spiral arms filled with gas and dust sweeping out around the bright galactic bulge. These arms are a rich environment for star formation, dotted with a festive array of colors including the newborn stars glowing blue as a result of their immensely high temperatures. NGC 5559 was discovered by astronomer William Herschel in 1785 and lies approximately 240 million light-years away in the northern constellation of Boötes (the herdsman). Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA #nasa #space #hubble #hubblespacetelescope #spacetelescope #telescope #galaxy #galactic #spothubble #universe #sprialgalaxy #astronomy #science