The NGC 4303 galaxy as seen with ALMA

This image of the nearby galaxy NGC 4303, 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 4303 is a spiral galaxy, with a bar of stars and gas at its centre, located approximately 55 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. 

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.