CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have revealed a nearby spiral galaxy in all its brilliant glory, shining in thousands of colors.
The dazzling panoramic shot released Wednesday of the Sculptor galaxy by a telescope in Chile is so detailed that it's already serving as a star-packed map.
Scientists used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope to observe the galaxy for some 50 hours, stitching together more than 100 exposures to create the picture. The image spans 65,000 light-years, almost the entire galaxy. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles.
Sculptor — officially labeled NGC 253 — is considered a starburst galaxy, one heavy with stellar action. It's located 11 million light-years away in the Southern Hemisphere's constellation Sculptor, and easy to view with binoculars or small telescopes.
“The Sculptor galaxy is in a sweet spot,” the observatory's Enrico Congiu, who led the research, said in a statement. “It is close enough that we can resolve its internal structure and study its building blocks with incredible detail, but at the same time, big enough that we can still see it as a whole system.”
The more shades of color from stars, gas and dust in a galaxy, the more clues to their age, composition and motion, according to the scientists. Sculptor's latest snapshot contains thousands of colors — a glowing montage of purples, pinks and yellows — compared with just a handful for traditional pictures.
The team has already discovered 500 planetary nebulae, clouds of gas and dust from dying stars that can serve as cosmic mile markers. Their research has been accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
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This handout provided by the European Southern Observatory shows a detailed, thousand-colour image of the Sculptor Galaxy captured with the MUSE instrument at ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). (ESO via AP)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Desmond Bane matched his season high with 37 points and the Orlando Magic advanced to the NBA Cup semifinals with a 117-108 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
Jalen Suggs scored 20 points and Paolo Banchero added 18 points and seven rebounds for the Magic, who will play New York or Toronto on Saturday in the semifinal round at Las Vegas.
Norman Powell led Miami with 21 points. Tyler Herro added 20 and Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins each had 19 for the Heat, who have lost three times in Orlando this season.
Bane hit two 3-pointers and scored on a three-point play in the first 2:06 of the fourth quarter, stretching the Magic's six-point lead to 13. The Heat never got the margin under nine until the final minute.
The Magic played for the first time this season without Franz Wagner, who is expected to be out several weeks with a high ankle sprain.
The Heat made their first six shots and led 15-0 when Herro drove for a layup less than three minutes into the game. But Miami went cold and finished the game 8 for 33 (24.2%) from 3-point range. Herro missed all six of his 3-point attempts, including an open shot that could have cut the margin to four with 37 seconds left.
Bane made 6 of 9 3-pointers and the Magic shot 15 for 32 (46.9%).
Up next
Heat: Play the New York-Toronto loser in a regular-season game.
Magic: Play the New York-Toronto winner on Saturday at Las Vegas.
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Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane, right, celebrates with guard Jase Richardson, center, and guard Jalen Suggs, left, after scoring a 3-pointer during the second half of an NBA Cup basketball game against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) goes up to shoot as Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) defends during the second half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) goes up to shoot in front of Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell, left, during the second half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) deflects a pass by Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell, left, during the second half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
