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NGC 253 is a beautiful galaxy in the southern constellation of Sculptor, close to the south celestial pole. It is seen almost edge-on from a distance of about seven million light years. Some of the brightest stars are just resolved by ground-based telescopes at that distance, but most of the galaxy is hidden by dust.
Because of the angle of inclination the spiral sturucture is difficult to see, but printing through an unsharp mask helps with this and emphasises the dusty nature of the galaxy. The print from which this picture was made was published in Mercury, the ASP magazine. There is also a colour version. |