NGC 1569: Starburst in a Dwarf Irregular Galaxy . ... Explanation: Grand spiral galaxies often seem to get all the glory, flaunting their young, bright, blue star clusters in beautiful, symmetric spiral arms. But small, irregular galaxies form stars too. In fact, as pictured here , dwarf galaxy NGC 1569 is apparently undergoing a burst of star forming activity, thought to have begun over 25 million years ago. ... NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers . ...