Image 5-11
Spiral Galaxy NGC 4414

This image of the majestic spiral galaxy NGC 4414 was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995. The image shows that the central regions of this galaxy contains primarily older, yellow and red stars. The outer spiral arms are considerably bluer due to ongoing formation of young, blue stars. This structure is typical of most spiral galaxies. The arms are also very rich in clouds of interstellar dust, which can be seen as dark patches and streaks silhouetted against the starlight. NGC 4414 is located approximately 60 million light-years from Earth.