Pages

Friday, December 16, 2011

NGC 253


The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) has captured in sharp detail the beauty of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 253. This new portrait is probably the best wide-field view of this object and its surroundings ever taken. It demonstrates that the VST, the newest telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory, provides broad views of the sky while also offering impressive image quality. Luminous regions of ongoing star formation are spread throughout NGC 253, which is pumping out new stars at a furious pace. The data were processed using the VST-Tube system developed by A. Grado and collaborators at the INAF-Capodimonte Observatory.

Photo credit: ESO/INAF-VST; Acknowledgement: A. Grado/L. Limatola/INAF-Capodimonte Observatory

Note: For more information, see A Galaxy Blooming with New Stars

No comments: