This VLT image shows the spiral galaxy NGC 4981. The bright star visible in the image is a foreground star. Image credit: ESO / Josh Barrington.

 NGC 4981 resides roughly 73 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Virgo.
Also known as LEDA 45574 and MCG-01-34-003, this galaxy was discovered on April 17, 1784 by the English astronomer William Herschel.
Over a century later, on April 23, 1968, NGC 4981 once again made it into the records when a Type Ia supernova occurred within its confines: SN 1968i.
SN 1968i, however, was not to be the galaxy’s only supernova.
Almost four decades later, the core collapse of a massive star led to supernova SN 2007c.
This spectacular shot of NGC 4981 — not showing any of the supernovae explosions — was captured by VLT’s visible and near-UV FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph (FORS) instrument.
FORS is the Swiss Army knife of ESO’s instruments — it is able to study many different astronomical objects in many different ways.
This instrument is responsible for some of the most iconic photos ever captured with the VLT.
A version of this image was entered into the Hidden Treasures competition by amateur astronomer Josh Barrington.
(From: http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/vlt-spiral-galaxy-ngc-4981-04651.html)