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> Spiral galaxy NGC 247 in Cetus

Spiral galaxy NGC 247 in Cetus

author: ESO/Novapix

reference: a-gax02-47004

Image Size 300 DPI: 72 * 44 cm

The spiral galaxy NGC 247 is one of the closest spiral galaxies of the southern sky. In this view from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope in Chile large numbers of the galaxy’s component stars are clearly resolved and many glowing pink clouds of hydrogen, marking regions of active star formation, can be made out in the loose and ragged spiral arms. NGC 247 is part of the Sculptor Group. This is the nearest group of galaxies to our Local Group, which includes the Milky Way, but putting a precise value on such celestial distances is inherently difficult. Astronomers have reported that NGC 247 is more than a million light-years closer to the Milky Way than was previously thought, bringing its distance down to just over 11 million light-years.

Keywords for this photo:

2011 - ASTRONOMY - CETUS - DWARF GALAXY - GALAXY - IRREGULAR GALAXY - MPG/ESO 2.2m - NGC 247 - POSTER - Sc - SPIRAL GALAXY - STAR -