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NGC 253


Date: 30 September 2008
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: NGC 253
Copyright: NASA, ESA, J. Dalcanton and B. Williams (University of Washington), T.A. Rector/University of Alaska Anchorage, T. Abbott and NOAO/AURA/NSF

NGC 253 is one of brightest spiral galaxies in the night sky, easily visible with small telescopes, and it is composed of thousands of young, blue stars. It is undergoing intense star formation. The image demonstrates the sharp "eye" of Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys, which is able to show individual stars. The dark filaments are clouds of dust and gas. NGC 253 is the dominant galaxy in the Sculptor Group of galaxies and it resides about 13 million light-years from Earth.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
22-Apr-2026 23:43 UT

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