'Rings of fire' blaze in outer space

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A galactic ring of fire "burns, burns, burns" with starbirth in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The brilliant ring circling the core of the galaxy, known as Messier 94 or NGC 4736, signals a frenetic round of star formation inside the ring.

Here's what Spitzer's astronomers think is going on: Gravitational pressure in the oval galaxy squeezes gas into hot, young stars. The radiation from those stars warms the surrounding dust, causing it to glow. This image also shows what appears to be a fainter, bluish ring farther out from the center. These arcs represent the outer extent of the galaxy's spiral arms. The denser areas of Messier 94's disk, shot through with greenish filaments of dust, are tucked in between the inner ring and the outer arms.

The colors reflect different wavelengths of infrared light detected by Spitzer. The readings for this image were collected in 2004, before the space telescope ran out of its coolant, but Spitzer's team released this version of the picture just a couple of weeks ago. It's one of the featured images in our Month in Space slideshow for May.

Another image highlights the "ring of fire" solar eclipse that was visible in Australia on May 10. Click through the full slideshow to see that ring and much, much more.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

More out-of-this-world slideshows:

• The World at Night 2013
• The artistry of Canada's space superstar
• NBC News Digital's space gallery

Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the NBC News Science Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with NBCNews.com's stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.