September 2, 2008--A composite image of Messier 83 reveals the shining stars and red hydrogen gasses of the "Thousand-Ruby Galaxy."

The image was captured by the ESO/MPG 2.2-meter (7.2 feet) telescope in Chile's mountainous Atacama Desert on August 25.

UV radiation, created by newly formed stars in the galactic center, ionizes Messier 83's hydrogen and causes its reddish glow.

The dramatic pinwheel galaxy is some 15 million light-years from Earth, but appears in many ways much like a smaller version of our own Milky Way.

--Brian Handwerk