Title:[0518] Around the compact nucleus of NGC 300 Caption:At the center of NGC 300 is an unusually compact, star-like nucleus. It is surrounded by a faint but extensive yellow haze, consisting of millions of faint, cool stars. This is the older population, or "bulge" of NGC 300, a distant equivalent to the (much more numerous) stars that we see in our own galaxy as the brightest part of the Milky Way in Sagittarius. During the exposure of the green-light plate, the atmospheric "seeing" briefly deteriorated, so the brightest stars in this picture have unnatural green haloes around them. Copyright:(c) 1992 Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, photograph by David Malin Credit:

Title:[0517] Spiral galaxy in the Sculptor group, NGC 300 Caption:Perfectly placed for study with the Anglo-Australian telescope is the delicate spiral galaxy NGC 300. It is among the least conspicuous members of a sparse cluster of galaxies that are scattered across the south galactic pole. The three, 30-minute, black-and-white exposures from which this picture was made have been specially enhanced to emphasize its subtle structure, revealing that the light of the spiral arms is dominated by young, blue stars. Throughout the galaxy, many stars are clearly visible as individuals, for the Sculptor Group is relatively nearby, about 8 million light years away Copyright:(c) 1992 Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, photograph by David Malin Credit: