NGC 253
This near-infrared image shows the center of spiral galaxy NGC 253, which lies about 11.5 million light-years nearby. The image shows an intricate whirlpool of dust spiraling into a diffuse nuclear region, where violent star formation may be occurring around a supermassive black hole.
| Observatory: | Gemini Observatory (South) Cerro Pachon, Chile |
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| Telescope: | Gemini South |
| Instrument: | FLAMINGOS-2 |
| Astronomer: | Gemini Observatory and T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) |
| Date of Observation: | 05-12-2013 |
| Filters and Assigned Colors: | Y (blue), J (cyan), H (yellow) and K (red) |
| Exposure Times: | 18sec in each filter |
| Location of Image: | Sculptor |
| Field of View: | 4.8 x 4.1 arcmin |
| Orientation: | North is down, East is right |
| Link to Larger Image | |
| Link to Full Resolution Image | |
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