"Stunning Hubble Telescope Image Reveals Celestial Serpent of Stars"

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of NGC 1087, a snake-like spiral galaxy located in the constellation Cetus. The galaxy's swirling arms contain both new and old stars, with red tendrils indicating cold molecular gas where new stars form. The galaxy's most notable feature is its bright-white starry bar at the center, which is similar to the central bar of our Milky Way. Astronomers study galaxies like NGC 1087 to understand star formation and the evolution of gas pockets after stars are formed.