NGC 1097 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Fornax. If it does not look much like a spiral galaxy, that is because astronomers have used a computer process to enhance the large jet structure. The blue formation projecting from the upper right of the galaxy is a jet (blue indicates the presence of extremely hot gas). The clumps along the length of the jet may be areas where the gas has cooled enough to allow new stars to be born.
