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Astronomy: Messier 83 a spiral galaxy
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M83 is one of the closest and brightest spiral galaxies in the sky. Visible with binoculars in the constellation of Hydra, majestic spiral arms have prompted its nickname as the Southern Pinwheel. Although discovered 250 years ago, only much later was it appreciated that M83 was not a nearby gas cloud, but a barred spiral galaxy much like our own Milky Way Galaxy. M83, pictured above in a photograph from the Very Large Telescope, is a prominent member of a group of galaxies that includes Centaurus A and NGC 5253, all of which lie about 15 million light years distant. Several bright supernova explosions have been recorded in M83. An intriguing double circumnuclear ring has been discovered at the center. Related subjects>> Spacemap: from the Local Group of galaxies until Earth>> Messier catalog of 110 deep sky objects >> Milky Way Galaxy |
 M83 lying 15 million light years from Earth |
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