Dark Energy Camera Captures Stunning High-Resolution Image of Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

The 570-megapixel image reveals intricate spiral arms, active star formation, and evidence of a galactic collision in Messier 83.

Messier 83, also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, is located 12-15 million light-years away in the Hydra constellation and spans 50,000 light-years in diameter.
The galaxy's spiral arms display vibrant pink hydrogen gas clouds where new stars are forming, bright blue clusters of young stars, and a yellow central bulge of older stars.
Astronomers discovered a second nucleus at the galaxy's core, likely the remnant of a collision with another galaxy, contributing to its intense starburst activity.
The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy is a prolific 'supernova factory,' hosting six observed supernovae and potentially hundreds of thousands of supernova remnants.
The image was captured using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope in Chile, part of a larger effort to create the most detailed 3D map of the night sky.