The Chandra X-ray Observatory project is showcasing citizen scientists who help astronomers by sifting through public data archives and processing spectacular, scientifically valuable images that can lead to new discoveries.
Stars and long streams of gas are torn away from a galaxy as it plows through the heart of a cluster near the centre of the Great Attractor in a phenomenon known as ram pressure stripping.
Messier 94, a relatively nearby galaxy, features two distinct rings of star formation, the result of pressure waves sweeping outward from the core. This 2015 image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the galaxy’s inner region and starburst ring.