UGC 11861 is a barred spiral galaxy located 69 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus. It is not only a stunning sight captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, but also a hotbed of cosmic activity.

High in the northern sky, near the center of the northern constellation Cepheus, lies barred spiral galaxy UGC 11861, the subject of the latest Hubble Space Telescope image.

UGC 11861 is 69 million light-years from Earth; that may seem like a long way away, but Hubble was exactly right to capture this magnificent image of the galaxy’s spiral arms and the brief but bright band of light at its center. This galaxy is actively forming new stars, visible as bright blue dots in its outer arms, amid fuzzy lanes of gas and dark dust.

This activity led to three supernovae observed in and around UGC 11861 in 1995, 1997, and 2011. Both of the previous ones were Type II supernovae, resulting from the collapse of a massive star at the end of its life. This Hubble image was made from data collected to study Type II supernovae and their environments.