Hubble telescope captures stunning galactic jellyfish photo.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of a distant spiral galaxy, JW100, which appears to have bright streams of star-forming gas dripping from its central disk like tentacles of a jellyfish. This galaxy is an example of a "jellyfish galaxy" that exhibits long tendrils illuminated by clumps of star formation, which appear to be streaming away from the galaxy's main body. These tendrils form through a process called ram pressure stripping, which occurs when galaxies encounter the diffuse gas that pervades galaxy clusters.