Johnny T. Butler 
A striking photograph of galaxy NGC 247 was taken using a large-field camera installed at the La Silla Observatory, Chile.
This image shows very fine details of this highly inclined spiral galaxy. This strong inclination would explain, according to astronomers, why the distance separating this celestial object from the Earth had been overestimated in the past.
NGC 247 is one of the closest spiral galaxies to the southern sky.
The image shows a large number of stars that make up the galaxy and many hydrogen clouds (in pink) that indicate areas of active star formation.
In addition to this galaxy, the snapshot reveals many brilliant galaxies beyond NGC 247. For example, in the upper right of the image, three other spirals form a line. In addition, far behind them, many galaxies are visible, some of which shine directly through the NGC 247 disk.
La Silla Observatory is the property of the European Southern Observatory.
Where is NGC 247?
It is part of a group of galaxies called “filament of the sculptor” whose galaxy of the same name is the most imposing. This is the group of galaxies closest to our local group, which includes the Milky Way. NGC 247 would be at a distance of just over 11 million light-years from our galaxy.
