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Cartwheel Galaxy by Damian Peach

Submitted by Planewave Instruments

 CDK20″ with FLI-PL6303E camera. LRGB. L: 60mins. RGB: 5mins.

Located in the southern constellation Sculptor, this collisional ring galaxy was likely formed from a collision between two galaxies in the distant past. The blue ring of material is a region of active star formation dominated by hot blue stars. This ring of material is 150,000 light years in diameter which is larger than our own milky way galaxy. The Cartwheel Galaxy is 500 million light years away and glows at 15th magnitude.