The Sculptor Galaxy, or NGC 253, is an spiral galaxy located in the constellation Sculptor. The Sculptor Galaxy is a currently undergoing a period of intense star formation. It is located between 10.9 million light years away and 12.8 million light years away. It depends on which method of measurement that is used.
The red image at bottom right shows the galaxy’s active side. Infant stars are heating up their dusty cocoons, particularly in the galaxy’s core, making the Sculptor galaxy burst with infrared light. This light — color-coded red in this view — was captured using WISE’s longest-wavelength, 22-micron detector. The dusty burst of stars is so intense in the core that it generates diffraction spikes. Diffraction spikes are telescope artifacts normally seen only around very bright stars.
The green image at center right reveals the galaxy’s emerging young stars, concentrated in the core and spiral arms. Ultraviolet light from these hot stars is being absorbed by tiny dust or soot particles left over from their formation, making the particles glow with infrared light that has been color-coded green in this view. WISE can see this light with a detector designed to capture wavelengths of 12 microns.
The blue image at top right was taken with the two shortest-wavelength detectors on WISE (3.4 and 4.6 microns). It shows stars of all ages, which can be found not just in the core and spiral arms but throughout the galaxy.
