Images of Neighboring Galaxy Released by Science Group in Chile

Stunning images of a neighboring galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) were released Tuesday by astronomers at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in the Chilean Andes. The LMC is a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way, located some 170,000 light-years away.

The pronounced spiral shape is a nebula located within the LMC. The image is part of a collection illustrating different regions of the LMC taken with the observatory’s new wide-field digital camera. The images will help scientists understand what goes on in the complex environment of stars, gas condensations and dust clouds within the galaxy.

Other images are available at https://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-1999/phot-26-99.html.

--Compiled from Times staff reports