The NGC 4254 galaxy as seen with ALMA

This image of the nearby galaxy NGC 4254, taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner, shows the distribution of cold clouds of molecular gas, which provide the raw material from which stars form. 

NGC 4254 is a grand-design spiral galaxy located approximately 45 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices. 

The images were taken as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) project, which is making high-resolution observations of nearby galaxies with telescopes operating across the electromagnetic spectrum.