CASPER
New member
The European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile has taken a spectacular new image of the Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) as part of one of its first major observational campaigns. By observing in infrared light, VISTA's view is less affected by dust and reveals myriad cooler stars as well as a prominent bar of stars across the central region. The VISTA image provides new information on the history and development of the galaxy.
The Sculptor Galaxy lies in the constellation of the same name, and it is one of the brightest galaxies in the sky. It is prominent enough to view with good binoculars, and Caroline Herschel from England discovered the galaxy in 1783. NGC 253 is a spiral galaxy that lies about 13 million light-years away. It is the brightest member of a small collection of galaxies called the Sculptor Group, one of the closest such groupings to our own Local Group of galaxies. Part of its visual prominence comes from its status as a starburst galaxy, one in the throes of rapid star formation. NGC 253 is also very dusty, which obscures the view of many parts of the galaxy. Seen from Earth, the galaxy is almost edge on, with the spiral arms clearly visible in the outer parts, along with a bright core at its center.
VISTA, the latest addition to ESO's Paranal Observatory in the Chilean Atacama Desert, is the world's largest survey telescope. After being handed over to ESO at the end of 2009, the telescope was used for two detailed studies of small sections of the sky before it embarked on the larger surveys that are now in progress. One of these "mini surveys" was a detailed study of NGC 253 and its environment.