The Milky Way

Hubble Space Telescope image of the spiral galaxy NGC 3949, similar in appearance to our own Milky Way home. The core of the galaxy is full of bright yellow-white light, surrounded by floculent spiral arms of white, blue, and violet colors where fuzzy curves of dark and light alternate to indicate where star formation is most active.
The spiral galaxy NGC 3949 is a close cousin to our own Milky Way. [NASA/HST]