The NGC 4383 galaxy at different wavelengths

This animation shows the galaxy NGC 4383 in a myriad of colours or wavelengths of light, observed with ESO’s Very Large Telescope. Different elements like hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen emit light at very specific wavelengths, highlighted here as the animation scans through different colours.

These data were captured with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument, which decomposes the light from every location within its field of view into a rainbow or spectrum. When pointed at galaxies such as this one, MUSE allows astronomers to analyse the chemical composition and motion of gas and stars at different locations within the galaxy.