Southern Pinwheel (M83)

Object Type: Barred Spiral Galaxy
Scope: Orion 10" Newtonian; Exposure 40 minutes.

Messier 83 (NGC 5236), the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, is a face-on barred spiral about 15 million light-years away in Hydra, one of the closest and brightest barred spirals in the sky and visible in binoculars. It is a vigorous star-forming galaxy and a notable supernova factory, with six supernovae recorded in it over the past century.