A new image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope shows the coiled spiral arms of a distant galaxy giving birth to new stars. Known as NGC 5486, this irregular spiral galaxy is located 110 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. Because it has no definite shape or structure, it is classified as an irregular galaxy and is likely distorted by the gravity of its larger neighbor.

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a new image of NGC 5486 released March 10 that shows the galaxy’s faint, twisting spiral arms and bright core. A few faint distant galaxies can also be seen in the background of the image.

“The galaxy’s thin disk is full of pink clusters of star formation, conspicuous from the diffuse glow of the galaxy’s bright core,” says a statement by NASA representatives (opens in a new tab) from the agency.

NGC 5486 lies near the much larger Pinwheel Galaxy, one of the best-known examples of a “grand design” spiral galaxy. Officially known as NGC 5457, the Pinwheel Galaxy is located approximately 21 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major and is one of the closest galaxies to our planet. It is about twice the size of the Milky Way, has prominent and well-defined spiral arms, and is estimated to be home to over a trillion stars.

Hubble took a picture of the Pinwheel Galaxy in 2006; This was the largest and most detailed picture of a spiral galaxy ever taken by a space telescope at the time, according to a NASA statement. The recent photograph of NGC 5486 was taken as part of an attempt to examine the remnants left behind by Type II supernovas, powerful stellar explosions that occur after a massive star collapses rapidly.

“When massive stars come to the end of their lives, they exude large amounts of gas and dust before ending their lives in massive supernova explosions,” NASA officials said in a statement. “In 2004, NGC 5486 was the site of a supernova explosion, and astronomers used the sharp vision of Hubble’s Advanced Search Camera to study its aftermath in hopes of learning more about these explosive events.”