Dark Energy Camera spies the outskirts of the swirling Southern Pinwheel galaxy

Messier 83, also known as the Southern Pinwheel galaxy, is one of the most prominent spiral galaxies in the night sky. It's named for its resemblance to the Pinwheel galaxy and spans around 50,000 light-years, making it much smaller than the Milky Way galaxy, although it has a higher rate of star formation, as evidenced by the striking bursts of pink throughout its spiral arms. This display of intense starburst activity likely results from a past merger with another galaxy.