CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronomers have revealed a nearby spiral galaxy in all its brilliant glory, shining in thousands of colors.

The breathtaking panoramic image of the Sculptor galaxy that was unveiled on Wednesday, captured by a telescope in Chile, is so detailed that it is now being used as a comprehensive star-filled map.

Researchers utilized the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope to monitor the galaxy for approximately 50 hours, piecing together over 100 exposures to form the image. This photograph covers 65,000 light-years, encompassing nearly the entire galaxy. To put that in perspective, one light-year equals 5.8 trillion miles.

Sculptor, scientifically known as NGC 253, is classified as a starburst galaxy, characterized by intense star formation activity. Situated 11 million light-years away, it’s located in the constellation Sculptor of the Southern Hemisphere, and can be easily observed with binoculars or small telescopes.

“The Sculptor galaxy is in a sweet spot,” the observatory’s Enrico Congiu, who led the research, said in a statement. “It is close enough that we can resolve its internal structure and study its building blocks with incredible detail, but at the same time, big enough that we can still see it as a whole system.”

The more shades of color from stars, gas and dust in a galaxy, the more clues to their age, composition and motion, according to the scientists. Sculptor’s latest snapshot contains thousands of colors — a glowing montage of purples, pinks and yellows — compared with just a handful for traditional pictures.

The team has already discovered 500 planetary nebulae, clouds of gas and dust from dying stars that can serve as cosmic mile markers. Their research has been accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

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