September – Edgewise perspective of NGC 1055

The spiral galaxy NGC 1055 poses in sharp profile in this very clear image captured by ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. Seen edge-on, this huge galaxy is estimated to be 15 percent bigger than the Milky Way and is located approximately 54 million light-years away in the constellation of Cetus (The Whale/Sea Monster). Spiral galaxies seen at different orientations from Earth offer astronomers unique ways to learn about galactic structure and history.