A vibrant cosmic portrait, this deep exposure showcases the face-on spiral galaxy NGC 2403 glowing amid the starry backdrop of Camelopardalis. Spanning nearly 100,000 light-years, the galaxy reveals an intricate structure of dusty spiral arms and radiant pink star-forming regions traced by hydrogen-alpha emission. Lying roughly 8 million light-years away, NGC 2403 is a member of the M81 Group and bears a striking resemblance to our own Milky Way’s satellite, the Triangulum Galaxy.

Captured from Hemel Hempstead, UK, with over 33 hours of total integration time, the image reveals fine galactic details—blue clusters of young stars, reddish emission nebulae, and the mottled glow of older stellar populations in the bulge. Bright foreground stars punctuate the frame with colorful diffraction spikes, while the galaxy’s faint outer arms softly blend into the darkness of intergalactic space.