NASA often shares breathtaking images and videos of galaxies on its social media handles, giving space enthusiasts' eyes a treat. As part of its galaxies galore series, NASA posts magnificent images captured by the Hubble Telescope. One such image that appears like a grand spiral staircase sweeping through space is among their most recent shares.
While sharing the image on its official Twitter handle, NASA wrote, "Round and round we go…."
"Let yourself be whisked away by the Whirlpool Galaxy's curving arms, pink star-forming regions, and brilliant blue strands of star clusters," the American space agency added. They explained further about the whirlpool galaxy on Tumblr.
"The graceful, winding arms of the majestic spiral galaxy M51... are actually long lanes of stars and gas laced with dust. Such striking arms are a hallmark of so-called grand-design spiral galaxies. In M51, also known as the Whirlpool galaxy, these arms serve an important purpose: they are star-formation factories, compressing hydrogen gas and creating clusters of new stars," NASA explained.
The picture posted a few hours ago has accumulated over eight thousand likes and more than a thousand retweets. The image has also prompted people to post varied comments.
"I wish there was an A.I. that could interpret images and turn it into music. I'd love to hear what this picture sounded like," expressed a Twitter user. "And all this splendor shines with the aesthetics of its forms in pitch emptiness," wrote another. "It looks so beautiful in there and all the beautiful lights," commented a third. "Makes you just want to zoom on in! Whoosh!" wrote a fourth Twitter user.
What are your thoughts on the picture of a galaxy located 31 million light-years from Earth?
Credit: Hindustan Times