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Credit & Copyright: Adam Block
Explanation:
Shiny NGC 253
is one of the brightest spiral galaxies visible, and also one of
the dustiest.
Some call it the Silver Coin Galaxy for its appearance in small
telescopes, or just the Sculptor Galaxy for its location within
the boundaries of the southern constellation Sculptor.
Discovered in 1783 by mathematician and astronomer
Caroline Herschel,
the dusty island universe lies a mere 10 million light-years away.
About 70 thousand light-years across, NGC 253 is the largest member of
the Sculptor Group of Galaxies,
the nearest to our own
Local Group of Galaxies.
In addition to its spiral dust lanes, tendrils of dust seem to be
rising from its galactic disk
laced with young star clusters and star forming regions in
this colorful galaxy portrait.
The high dust content accompanies frantic star formation,
earning
NGC 253 the designation of a
starburst galaxy.
NGC 253 is also known to be a strong source of high-energy
x-rays
and
gamma rays,
likely due to black holes near the galaxy's center.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: dust - star formation - spiral galaxy
Publications with words: dust - star formation - spiral galaxy
See also:
- NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
- APOD: 2026 January 14 Á M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
- APOD: 2026 January 12 Á Meteor Dust
- IC 342: Hidden Galaxy in Camelopardalis
- APOD: 2025 December 28 Á NGC 1898: Globular Cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud
- A Dark Seahorse in Cepheus
- APOD: 2025 November 5 Á Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370 from Hubble