NGC253 · Sculptor Galaxy
| Chinese name | 玉夫座星系 |
|---|---|
| Type | Galaxy |
| Constellation | Scl |
| RA | 00h47m |
| Dec | −25° |
| Apparent magnitude | 7.2ᵐ |
| Hemisphere | Southern |
| Best season | Autumn |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Focal length | 中焦 600–1000mm |
About
The Sculptor Galaxy lies about 11.4 million light-years away and is one of the nearest starburst galaxies, also called the Silver Coin Galaxy, the dominant member of the Sculptor Group in the constellation Sculptor. Its near-edge-on disk is crisscrossed with dark dust lanes and bright stellar knots, while the core vigorously forms new stars and drives a hot gaseous outflow (a superwind). At magnitude 7.2 and large in apparent size, it is faintly visible to the naked eye and easy in binoculars. Bright and large, it shows fine dust texture even at a medium focal length, with deep exposures capturing the red core outflow. It is one of the most popular galaxy targets of the southern autumn sky.