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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Spiral Galaxy NGC 253 Almost Sideways
Explanation: Explanation : NGC 253 is a normal spiral galaxy seen here almost sideways. It is the largest member of the Sculptor Group of Galaxies , the nearest group to our own Local Group of Galaxies . NGC 253 appears visually as one of the brightest spirals on the sky, and is easily visible in southern hemisphere with a good pair of binoculars. The type “Sc” galaxy is about 10 million light years distant. NGC 253 is considered a “starburst” galaxy because of high star formation rates and dense dust clouds in its nucleus . The energetic nuclear region is seen to glow in X-ray and gamma-ray light.
| Date | November 2, 1996 |
|---|---|
| Credit |
Spiral Galaxy NGC 253 Almost Sideways Credit: Anglo-Australian Telescope photograph by David Malin Copyright: Anglo-Australian Telescope Board |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |