Fig. FORS2, an instrument mounted on ESO’s Very Large Telescope, has  observed the spiral galaxy NGC 3981 in all its glory. The image was  captured as part of the ESO Cosmic Gems Programme, which makes use of  the rare occasions when observing conditions are not suitable for  gathering scientific data. Instead of sitting idle, the ESO Cosmic Gems  Programme allows ESO’s telescopes to be used to capture visually  stunning images of the southern skies.

  This wonderful image shows the resplendent spiral galaxy NGC 3981 suspended in the inky blackness of space. This galaxy, which lies in the constellation of Crater (the Cup), was imaged in May 2018 using the FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2) instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT).

  FORS2 is mounted on Unit Telescope 1 (Antu) of the VLTat ESO’sParanal Observatory  in Chile. Amongst the host of cutting-edge instruments mounted on the  four Unit Telescopes of the VLT, FORS2 stands apart due to its extreme  versatility. This ”Swiss Army knife” of an instrument is able to study a  variety of astronomical objects in many different ways — as well as  being capable of producing beautiful images like this one.

  The  sensitive gaze of FORS2 revealed NGC 3981’s spiral arms, strewn with  vast streams of dust and star-forming regions, and a prominent disc of  hot young stars. The galaxy is inclined towards Earth, allowing  astronomers to peer right into the heart of this galaxy and observe its  bright centre, a highly energetic region containing a supermassive black hole.  Also shown is NGC 3981’s outlying spiral structure, some of which  appears to have been stretched outwards from the galaxy, presumably due  to the gravitational influence of a past galactic encounter.

See: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1830/