Fireworks Galaxy, NGC 6946

Fireworks Galaxy, NGC 6946 From our vantage point in the Milky Way Galaxy we see NGC 6946 face-on. The big, beautiful spiral galaxy is located just 20 million light-years away, behind a veil of foreground dust and stars in the high and far-off constellation of Cepheus. From the core outward, the galaxy’s colors change from the yellowish light of old stars in the center to young blue star clusters and reddish star forming regions along the loose, fragmented spiral arms. NGC 6946 is also bright in infrared light and rich in gas and dust, exhibiting a high star birth and death rate. In fact, since the early 20th century ten confirmed supernovae, the death explosions of massive stars, were discovered in NGC 6946. Nearly 40,000 light-years across, this image was photographed using a 20″ Planewave telescope and a Finger Lakes Instrument PL16803 camera. It is comprised of 208 10 minute images taken over 51 hours.