Starburst galaxy

An infrared image of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 1569. Starburst galaxies undergo periods of intense star formation. The starburst activity in NGC 1569 is concentrated into three giant regions which are clearly visible as three red knots in the false colour image.

These same starburst regions likely contain the massive X-ray binary stars which may be responsible for part of the mysterious X-ray background that permeates the universe.