---
title: "Astronomy Photo of the Day: 7/26/14 – NGC 253"
description: "[caption id=\"attachment_26822\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"723\"] Image Credit: Star Shadows Remote Observatory and PROMPT/CTIO[/caption] Meet NGC 253; a beautiful island galaxy located in the constellation of Sculptor, some 10 million light-years from Earth. As you can see from this nearly-edge on vantage point, its beauty is rivaled only by its sheer dustiness. Other than the dust pervading..."
date: "2014-07-26"
modified: "2014-07-26"
authors:
  - name: "Jaime Trosper"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jaimefqtq"
url: "https://futurism.com/apotd-ngc-253"
categories:
  - "From Quarks to Quasars"
---

# Astronomy Photo of the Day: 7/26/14 – NGC 253

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/NGC-253.jpg>)

![Image Credit: Star Shadows Remote Observatory and PROMPT/CTIO ](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/NGC-253.jpg>)
**Image Credit: Star Shadows Remote Observatory and PROMPT/CTIO**

Meet [NGC 253](<http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im1017.html>); a beautiful island galaxy located in the constellation of Sculptor, some 10 million light-years from Earth. As you can see from this nearly-edge on vantage point, its beauty is rivaled only by its sheer dustiness. Other than the dust pervading the galaxy's spiral arms, tendrils of[ dense collections of dust](<http://oneminuteastronomer.com/4786/silver-coin-galaxy/>) extend from its tilted galactic disk and beyond.

This extra material has spawned an impressive collection of stars, with the combined light making the galaxy one of the brightest galaxies known to man. Also helping make this galaxy so spectacularly bright and impressive is the ionization these stars induce on the galaxy's extensive gas reserves.

[![Image Credit; R Jay GaBany](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/NGC-2531.jpg>)](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/NGC-2531.jpg>)
***A Closer Look** *(Image Credit; R Jay GaBany)**

NGC 253 — also known as the Silver Dollar Galaxy *(because of the way it looks when viewed through a moderately powerful telescope)* — spans some 70,000 light-years across. As such, it is the largest member of the Sculptor Group of Galaxies, which is the closest galaxy group to our own local group.

*See a larger image [here](<http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0911/NGC253_SSRO.jpg>).*

## Author
Jaime is a freelance writer, who finds great joy in sharing the wonders of universe with others. She used this passion to launch "From Quarks to Quasars" in 2012.