Explanation:
This gorgeous island
universe lies about 85 million light-years
distant in the southern
constellation
Fornax.
Inhabited by young blue
star clusters, the spiral arms of
NGC 1350 seem to join in a circle around the galaxy's large,
bright nucleus - giving the galaxy the appearance of a
limpid cosmic eye.
NGC 1350 is about 130,000 light-years across making it as large
or slightly larger than our own Milky Way.
For earth-based
astronomers, NGC 1350 is seen on the
outskirts of the
Fornax cluster
of galaxies, but its estimated distance suggests that
it is not itself a cluster member.
The sharp image
also reveals many background galaxies,
some visible right through NGC 1350.
