Stargazer Captures Stunning Image of Edge-On Spiral Galaxy (Photo)

Astrophotographer John Chumack took this image of edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891 (also known as Caldwell 23), after 130 minutes of exposure on Sept. 7 from his observatories at Yellow Springs Research Station in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He took this shot with a QHY8 Cooled Color Astronomical CCD Camera and a homemade 16” diameter Fork Mounted Newtonian Scope. (Image credit: John Chumack | www.galacticimages.com )

What might appear to some like a flying saucer careening through deep space is actually a photo of a majestic spiral galaxy taken by a veteran astrophotographer.

The picture of the galaxy NGC 891, taken by photographer John Chumack, reveals what our host galaxy, the Milky Way might look like if seen edge-on from millions of light-years away.

"We see our Milky Way stretch across the night sky horizon to horizon every summer," Chumack told SPACE.com via email. "Now, if we were to back away from the Milky Way by about 30 million light-years, our Milky Way would look very much as NGC 891 does in this photo." A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers).

Chumack captured the image over 130 minutes of exposure on Sept. 7 from his observatories at Yellow Springs Research Station in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He used a QHY8 Cooled Color Astronomical CCD Camera and a homemade 16" diameter Fork Mounted Newtonian Scope to take the photo.

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Nina Sen is a freelance writer and producer who covered night sky photography and astronomy for Space.com. She began writing and producing content for Space.com in 2011 with a focus on story and image production, as well as amazing space photos captured by NASA telescopes and other missions. Her work also includes coverage of amazing images by astrophotographers that showcase the night sky's beauty.