A Telescopic Treasure | Space Wallpaper

By Space.com Staff
published

A Telescopic Treasure
NGC 135 in the constellation Sculptor offers a stunning example of a spiral galaxy. (Image credit: Copyright CHART32 Team, Processing: Volker Wendel )

Around 60 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor, a jaw-dropping specimen of a spiral galaxy floats in space. With a severe pitch to the right, NGC 134, and the smaller NGC 131, has all the classic characteristics of the Milky Way — a glowing center, clumpy dust lanes and swirling spiral arms. NGC 134, which is larger than our galaxy, shows evidence of gravitational encounters with other galaxies. [Learn more about galaxies.]

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.