M83     Southern Pinwheel Galaxy in Hydra (NGC 5236)

        Object type:             Spiral (Sc type) galaxy

        Distance from Earth:      14,670,000 light years / 4.5 Mparsecs


        This spiral galaxy is noted for the number of supernovae that occur.
        In our own Milky Way galaxy, a supernova explosion occurs about 
        once in 30 to 50 years.  In M83, supernovae occur every 10 to 15 
        years, more frequently than in any other galaxy.
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