NGC 253 is the dominant galaxy in the nearby Sculptor Group, roughly 11 million light-years away. Seen almost edge-on, its broad disk is crossed by thick lanes of dust that give it a rough, mottled appearance.

The galaxy is undergoing a powerful burst of star formation. In its crowded core, gas and dust are being compressed into new clusters of hot young stars, while stellar winds and supernovae drive material outward above and below the disk.

At roughly half a degree long in the sky, the Sculptor Galaxy is one of the brightest galaxies beyond the Local Group. Under Hawaiʻi’s dark sky it can appear as a slender glow in binoculars, while a telescope begins to reveal the bright center and uneven structure across its disk.

The galaxy is also called the Silver Coin Galaxy, a modern nickname inspired by its long, bright, silvery profile. Its more familiar name comes from the constellation Sculptor, not from an ancient story attached to the galaxy itself.

Sculptor is one of the southern constellations introduced in the eighteenth century by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille. He first presented it as the Sculptor’s Studio—a tribute to the tools of art and craft rather than a character from Greek mythology.

No traditional Hawaiian name is known for NGC 253 itself. From Hawaiʻi Island, however, Sculptor rises far enough above the southern horizon to make this great southern galaxy an excellent target during late-summer and autumn nights.