NGC 253：尘埃岛宇宙
(原标题: NGC 253: Dusty Island Universe)
2024-02-15
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闪亮的NGC 253是可见的最明亮的螺旋星系之一，也是尘埃最多的星系之一。有些人称它为银币星系，因为它在小型望远镜中看起来很像，或者只是称它为雕刻家星系，因为它位于南雕刻家星座的边界内。1783年，数学家和天文学家卡罗琳·赫歇尔发现了这个尘埃岛宇宙，距离我们只有1000万光年。NGC 253直径约7万光年，是雕塑家星系群中最大的成员，离我们的本星系群最近。在这张彩色的星系肖像中，除了螺旋状的尘埃带之外，尘埃的卷尾似乎也从环绕着年轻星团和恒星形成区域的星系盘中升起。高尘埃含量伴随着疯狂的恒星形成，使NGC 253获得了星暴星系的称号。NGC 253也被认为是高能x射线和伽马射线的强大来源，可能是由于星系中心附近的巨大黑洞。
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Shiny NGC 253 is one of the brightest spiral galaxies visible, and also one of the dustiest. Some call it the Silver Coin Galaxy for its appearance in small telescopes, or just the Sculptor Galaxy for its location within the boundaries of the southern constellation Sculptor. Discovered in 1783 by mathematician and astronomer Caroline Herschel, the dusty island universe lies a mere 10 million light-years away. About 70 thousand light-years across, NGC 253 is the largest member of the Sculptor Group of Galaxies, the nearest to our own Local Group of Galaxies. In addition to its spiral dust lanes, tendrils of dust seem to be rising from its galactic disk laced with young star clusters and star forming regions in this colorful galaxy portrait. The high dust content accompanies frantic star formation, earning NGC 253 the designation of a starburst galaxy. NGC 253 is also known to be a strong source of high-energy x-rays and gamma rays, likely due to massive black holes near the galaxy's center.
© Steve Crouch