In this Hubble Space Telescope image, the irregular spiral galaxy NGC 5486 hangs against a background of faint distant galaxies. The galaxy’s thin disk is riddled with pink star forming bundles that stand out from the diffuse glow of the galaxy’s bright core. Although this particular galaxy has faint spiral arms, it is located near the much larger Pinwheel Galaxy, one of the best-known examples of “grand design” spiral galaxies with prominent and well-defined spiral arms.

In 2006, Hubble captured an image of the Pinwheel Galaxy, which at the time was the largest and most detailed image of a spiral galaxy ever taken by Hubble.

NGC 5486 is located 110 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. Constellations are not just patterns of bright stars, they are also a system by which astronomers divide the sky into zones. There are 88 of these regions, and each is associated with a constellation representing a mythological figure, animal, or even a piece of scientific equipment. This marvelous celestial zoo contains everything from the Great Bear to the toucan, sea monster, telescope and even an artist’s easel!

Ursa Major or Ursa Major is a constellation in the northern sky visible from most of the northern hemisphere year-round. Its main pattern consists of seven bright stars that form the shape of a scoop or pan known as the Ursa Major or Plow. The names of the seven stars are Alcaid, Mitsar, Aliot, Megrez, Thekda, Merak and Dubhe. The constellation also contains several other important stars and objects, including binary stars, star clusters and galaxies. Aliot is the brightest star in the Ursa Major, and the Hurricane Galaxy is a famous spiral galaxy located near the border of the Venatic Dog. The Big Dipper is one of the oldest known constellations, dating back to ancient times.