For the first time, astronomers have obtained a high-quality image of the spiral galaxy NGC 3981 with the FORS2 receiver installed on ESO's Very Large Telescope. The photo was taken as part of the ESO Cosmic Gems program.
The impressive image shows us the spiral galaxy NGC 3981 in the southern constellation Crater. The photo was taken in May 2018 using the FORS2 tool (FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph 2) installed on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT).
A distinctive feature of FORS2 is its versatility. The receiver is capable not only of exploring a variety of objects in space, but also of taking incredible beauty photos. So the detailing of the FORS2 instrument made it possible to clearly show the spiral branches of NGC 3981, in which various dust accumulations and regions of star formation are represented. A bright disk dominated by young, hot stars is also clearly visible. An acceptable perspective of the galaxy in relation to Earth allowed researchers to directly see its central part and powerful radiation from the very center, where the supermassive black hole is located. In addition, NGC 3981 has a characteristic peripheral structure in the form of a spiral, some of whose arms partially extend beyond the galaxy, which, most likely, may be a sign of gravitational changes as a result of collisions of galaxies.
Moreover, being at a distance of 65 million light years from Earth, NGC 3981 has a whole list of neighboring galaxies. The galaxy belongs to the NGC 4038 group, which also contains the 'Antennas' galaxies, which are very popular among astronomers. This group itself is part of the so-called Chalice Cloud, a relatively small location in the Virgo supercluster of galaxies, a huge cluster of galaxies that includes our Milky Way
However, NGC 3981 is far from the only notable object in this photograph. In addition to several stars in the foreground of the Milky Way galaxy, FORS2 recorded a wandering asteroid passing through the field of view (a barely visible line at the top of the image). This asteroid appeared on the picture quite by accident, which became an invaluable experience for astronomers.
