NGC 4102 lies in the northern constellation of Ursa Major (The Great Bear). It contains what is known as a LINER, or low-ionization nuclear emission-line region. That means its nucleus emits particular types of radiation, emission from weakly-ionised or neutral atoms of certain elements. That’s not very unusual. About one third of all nearby galaxies are thought to be LINER galaxies.

Many LINER galaxies also contain intense regions of star formation. This is thought to be intrinsically linked to their galactic centers, but the reason why is still a mystery. It may be that the starbursts pour fuel inwards to fuel the LINERs, or this active central region might trigger the starbursts. NGC 4102 does indeed contain a starburst region near its center where stars are being created at a more rapid rate than in a normal galaxy.

Image Credit: NASA / ESA