NGC6946 (Fireworks Galaxy)

NGC 6946, also known as the Fireworks Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy located on the border of the constellations Cepheus and Cygnus. Some characteristics: Distance from Earth — approximately 25.2 million light-years. Galaxy diameter — about 40,000 light-years. Discovered by William Herschel on September 9, 1798. Known for its abundance of gas and dust clouds where intense star formation occurs. The galaxy earned its nickname "Fireworks" due to the many bright regions of ionized hydrogen (HII), which appear red in photographs. From 1917 to 2008, nine supernova explosions were recorded in this galaxy, a record number for any galaxy. In 2015, using the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, a candidate star of the η Carinae type was discovered in the galaxy — an extremely large and massive star (with a mass over 100 solar masses).