Sculptor Galaxy

NGC 253 is a relatively near neighbor of our own Milky Way. Lying in the southern constellation of Sculptor at a distance of around 9 million light years, NGC 253 is the brightest galaxy in a small cluster just outside our own Local Group of galaxies - giving it the nickname the Sculptor Galaxy. It's distinctively strong tilted disc shape gives it a 3D look in large scopes and its other nickname - the Silver Dollar galaxy.

NGC 253 is so bright (mag. 7.0) and large (25 x 7 arcmin, nearly as long as the moon's diameter seen from earth) that it can sometimes be seen naked eye from an extremely dark site, especially in the Southern Hemisphere where it rises much higher in the sky.

45 min total exposure. Equipment: Losmandy G11-G, Takahashi TSA-102 (816mm, f/8), SBIG ST-2000 XCM.