Spiral Galaxy NGC 1232 - Our Breathtaking Universe Jigsaw Puzzle

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series: A fantastic jigsaw puzzle featuring a stunning, mind-blowing image that reveals a little of the wonder that is our universe. This spectacular image of the large spiral galaxy NGC 1232 was obtained on September 21, 1998, during a period of good observing conditions. It is based on three exposures in ultra-violet, blue and red light, respectively. NGC 1232 is located 20º south of the celestial equator, in the constellation Eridanus (The River). The distance is about 100 million light-years, but the excellent optical quality of the VLT and FORS allows us to see an incredible wealth of details. At the indicated distance, the edge of the field shown corresponds to about 200,000 light-years, or about twice the size of the Milky Way galaxy. Image code: spgxy1232, ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA Reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.