NGC 6744 is similar to our home galaxy, but it’s about 200,000 light-years in diameter, about twice the size of our galaxy. Like the Milky Way, NGC 6744 has a prominent central core packed with old yellow stars. Its dusty spiral arms glow in shades of pink and blue; while the blue sites are full of young star clusters, the pink ones are regions of active star formation, indicating that the galaxy is still very lively.

Image Credit: ESA / NASA