MUSE views the unusual galaxy NGC 4650A

This view shows how the new MUSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope gives a three-dimensional depiction of a distant galaxy. For each part of the galaxy the light has been split up into its component colours — revealing not only the motions of different parts of the galaxy but also clues to its chemical composition and other properties. This picture is based on data on the polar ring galaxy NGC 4650A that were obtained soon after the instrument achieved first light in early 2014.