English: Astronomers obtained this portrait of Barnard’s Galaxy using the Wide Field Imager attached to the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at ESO’s
La Silla Observatory in northern
Chile. Also known as NGC 6822, this dwarf irregular galaxy is one of the
Milky Way’s galactic neighbours. The
dwarf galaxy has no shortage of stellar splendour and
pyrotechnics. Reddish nebulae in this image reveal regions of active
star formation, wherein young, hot stars heat up nearby gas clouds. Also prominent in the upper left of this new image is a striking bubble-shaped
nebula. At the nebula’s centre, a clutch of massive, scorching stars send waves of matter smashing into surrounding interstellar material, generating a glowing structure that appears ring-like from our
perspective. Other similar ripples of heated matter thrown out by feisty young stars are dotted across Barnard’s Galaxy.