The Southern Pinwheel

The Hydra constellation is located about 15 million light-years away and the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy has a spiral with a classic grand design. The galaxy stretches over 40 000 light-years, and is about 2.5 times smaller than our own Milky Way. Nonetheless, the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy is quite similar to our own galaxy. Both have a dense spherical conglomeration of stars at their centre.

Photo: ESO/IDA/Danish 1.5 m/R. Gendler, S. Guisard and C. Thöne