Sculptor Galaxy / Silver Coin Galaxy
RA 0h 48m · Dec -25° 20′
5′

The second-brightest galaxy in the sky after the Milky Way’s satellite clouds, a spectacular starburst spiral seen at a low inclination. Dust lanes, bright star-forming knots, and an active nucleus are all visible at modest focal lengths; barely accessible from the UK but worth the effort near its autumn culmination.

Galaxy

Sculptor Galaxy / Silver Coin Galaxy

NGC 253 · Sculptor
These photons are ~11.4 million years old
UV/IRUV/IR-cut. Blocks ultraviolet and infrared so refractor optics stay in focus across the visible band.ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →
⧉ 9 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log
↻ Revisited — built over 2 nights, the next night
  1. 1 22/09/2025 29m (87 × 20s) + 29m (87 x 20s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
  2. 2 23/09/2025 68m (411 x 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
22/09/2025 23/09/2025 The next night
Date
22/09/2025
Location
36.3859° N, 28.0412° E
Integration
29m (87 × 20s)
Software
ZWO Seestar app
Notes
·
Total effort
6h 57m over 2 nights
Moon
🌑New Moon, 0% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA
0h 47m 37.9s
Centre Dec
−25° 19′ 52″
Field
42.7′ × 75.9′
Pixel scale
2.37″/px
Orientation
33.7° E of N
Hemisphere
Southern
Also in this frame
C65

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeZWO Seestar S50
CameraZWO Seestar S50 Camera
RigFamily Holiday Rig

Where to find it

Finder chart
-26°-25°50′-25°40′-25°30′-25°20′-25°10′-25°-24°50′-24°40′0h45m0h46m0h47m0h47m0h48m0h49m0h49m0h50mNGC 253NE42.7′ x 75.9′5′

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 0 47 37.9 -25 19 52. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Ρόδος (Rhodes)
36.3859° N, 28.0412° E · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is NGC 253?
NGC 253 is a galaxy.
Which constellation is NGC 253 in?
NGC 253 lies in the constellation Sculptor.
How far away is NGC 253?
The light in this image left NGC 253 roughly ~11.4 million years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.
What are the coordinates of NGC 253?
NGC 253 sits at right ascension 00h 47m 38s and declination −25° 19′ 52″ (J2000).
When is the best time to photograph NGC 253?
NGC 253 rides highest in the evening sky around October, reaching about 28° above the horizon from around 36°N.
What else is in this frame?
The plate-solved field also contains C65.
What equipment was used to photograph NGC 253?
This image of NGC 253 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.
How much exposure time went into this image?
This image of NGC 253 represents 29m (87 × 20s) + 68m (411 x 10s) + 29m (87 x 20s) of total integration time.

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