The Best Space Images of 2023

A Shell Galaxy

Image: DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys/LBNL/DOE & KPNO/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Image processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab), R. Colombari (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

NGC 3923—or a “galactic onion,” as we termed it back in September—is a galaxy noticeable for the concentric rings in its galactic halo. You can read more about the unique galactic structure here. This image comes from the Dark Energy Camera on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope in Chile.

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The Phantom Galaxy (background) and a simulation of its turbulence.

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