Starry Bulges Yield Secrets to Galaxy Growth (Hubble and Ground-Based View)

Astronomers have combined information from the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope's visible- and infrared-light cameras to show the hearts of four spiral galaxies peppered with ancient populations of stars. The top row of pictures, taken by a ground-based telescope, represents complete views of each galaxy. The blue boxes outline the regions observed by the Hubble telescope.