NGC 4697 is beyond this frame above and to the left, but a smaller irregular galaxy NGC 4731a can be seen near the bottom in impressive detail with its own young blue star clusters.
It is the spiral galaxy NGC 4603, the most distant galaxy in which Cepheid variables have been found.
Its broad arms are distorted by gravitational interaction with a fellow Virgo cluster member, giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4697.
NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) view of the magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4603, the most distant galaxy in which a special class of pulsating stars called Cepheid variables have been found.
NGC 4697在这帧照片的左上画面之外,而画面底端可见较小的不规则星系ngc 4731a,它自己的年轻蓝*星团细节令人印象深刻。