Thème :
Galaxies
Description :
(La description de cette image n'existe qu'en anglais) This spectacular image of the large spiral galaxy NGC 1232 was obtained on September 21, 1998. It is based on three exposures in ultra-violet, blue and red light, respectively. The colours of the different regions are well visible: the central areas contain older stars of reddish colour, while the spiral arms are populated by young, blue stars and many star-forming regions. NGC 1232 is located 20o south of the celestial equator, in the constellation Eridanus (The River). The distance is about 100 million light-years, but the excellent optical quality of the VLT and FORS allows us to see an incredible wealth of details.
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