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Space
NASA Photo of the Day Reveals M83, the Galaxy Nicknamed 'Thousand-Ruby'
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day features spiral galaxy M83, about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra, whose glowing red star-forming regions have earned it the nickname 'Thousand-Ruby Galaxy.'
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) on September 11, 2026 featured spiral galaxy M83, which lies some 12 million light-years away near the southeastern tip of the constellation Hydra. Prominent spiral arms traced by dark dust lanes and blue star clusters have given the galaxy its popular name, the Southern Pinwheel.
Reddish star-forming regions dotting M83's spiral arms have suggested another nickname: the Thousand-Ruby Galaxy. The galaxy is a mere 40,000 light-years across, smaller than the Milky Way.
M83 belongs to a group of galaxies that includes the active galaxy Centaurus A. The core of M83 itself is bright at energies, showing a high concentration of neutron stars and black holes left over from an intense burst of star formation.
The sharp, ground-based telescopic image also captures foreground stars from our own Milky Way alongside distant background galaxies.
Terms explained
#M83#Southern Pinwheel#spiral galaxy#NASA APOD#Hydra constellation#Centaurus A
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