The Colorful Cosmos

“Spirograph in the Sky” Prints

Not all of you remember the spirograph, but it was a very popular toy when I was a kid, in which you made cool, colorful, perfect spiral images. This image of NGC 1566 really reminds me of that toy. It must be the gorgeous face-on view of NGC 1566, its perfect spiral arms, and the wonderful blue clusters of stars dancing in its dark dust lanes. Overall, this may be the perfect galaxy.

NGC 1566, sometimes called the “Spanish Dancer” is located in the constellation Dorado, and is the brightest and most dominant galaxy in the Dorado Group, which is one of the richest galaxy groups in the southern hemisphere.

©Mark Hanson and Mike Selby