Dwarf galaxy NGC 1569 is apparently
undergoing a burst of star forming activity, thought to have
begun over 25 million years ago. The resulting turbulent
environment is fed by supernova explosions as the cosmic
detonations spew out material and trigger further star
formation. Two massive star clusters - youthful counterparts to
globular star clusters in our own spiral Milky Way galaxy - are
seen left of center in the gorgeous Hubble Space Telescope
image. The above picture spans about 8,000 light-years across
NGC 1569. A mere 11 million light-years distant, this relatively
close starburst galaxy offers astronomers an excellent
opportunity to study stellar populations in rapidly evolving
galaxies.
