NASA is setting its sights on a distant 'jellyfish' galaxy

NASA is getting ready to go hunting — not for a white whale, but for a jellyfish.

In a statement released last week, the agency announced its plans to investigate the distant galaxy ESO 137-001 once it launches its James Webb Space Telescope. The galaxy has earned its "jellyfish" nickname from the long "ribbons of young stars" that trail behind it as it makes its way through the cosmos, looking like "cosmic tentacles," NASA explained.

While it makes for a stunning picture, scientists aren't sure what enables the galaxy to form stars in such a manner. It's been a mystery since we first spotted ESO 137-001 using the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory in 2014 — which is why, once the Webb telescope launches, it will take a closer look at the mysterious galactic cephalopod.

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With a long trail of newly-forming stars and hot gases that are slowly leaking out of the galaxy, scientists have a rare opportunity to find out what's causing the leak, Space reported. This investigation could give us clues about how new stars form, and whether producing too many new stars can actually cause a galaxy to die.

The James Webb Space Telescope, which has experienced setbacks and delays already, is expected to launch in 2021. It will be able to take photographs of ESO 137-001 with much better resolution, and will observe more wavelengths of light to get more information about the galaxy.

Find out more about the galaxy, and our mission to learn about it, at Space.