Astronomers capture a galaxy in thousands of colours, revealing the most detail ever seen

Astronomers have created a galactic masterpiece: an ultra-detailed image that reveals previously unseen features in the Sculptor Galaxy. (Image: ESO)

Astronomers peering into the skies from Chile have revealed a spectacular view of the Sculptor Galaxy, also known as NGC 253, located 11 million light-years from Earth. Captured by the Very Large Telescope’s MUSE instrument, the image showcases thousands of colours, unravelling the galaxy’s rich and complex structure.

Unveiling the Sculptor’s Structure

The team led by Enrico Congiu from Universidad de Chile said the Sculptor Galaxy offers a rare advantage. It’s close enough to resolve individual star-forming regions, but still large enough to be studied as a whole system. Stretching across 90,000 light-years, the new image covers nearly 65,000 light-years and took 100 exposures over 50 observing hours to complete.

Heidelberg University’s Kathryn Kreckel added that the level of zoom allowed the team to focus on tiny regions while also observing the galaxy’s entire shape and evolution. This approach gave them an unmatched perspective into galactic behaviour.

500 Planetary Nebulae Found

The image also led to the discovery of 500 new planetary nebulae, revealed through gas and dust shells ejected by dying stars. Fabian Scheuermann, also from Heidelberg, said such high numbers are rare beyond our galactic neighbourhood.

MUSE view of the Sculptor Galaxy (Image: ESO)

These nebulae can help calculate the distance to NGC 253 more precisely, according to Adam Leroy from Ohio State University. Accurate distance measurements are key to understanding the galaxy’s behaviour and history.

Next Steps in the Galaxy’s Story

Astronomers now aim to explore how hot gas flows within NGC 253 and contributes to star formation. How such small-scale processes influence such vast systems remains a puzzle.

The team's full findings were published on 18 June in Astronomy & Astrophysics.