NGC 4945 in Centaurus.

Large, dusty, spiral galaxy NGC 4945 is seen edge-on near the center of this rich telescopic image . The field of view spans nearly 2 degrees, or about 4 times the width of the Full Moon, toward the expansive southern constellation Centaurus . About 13 million light-years distant, NGC 4945 is almost the size of our own Milky Way Galaxy . But X-ray and infrared observations reveal even more high energy emission and star formation in the core of NGC 4945 . The other prominent galaxy in the field, NGC 4976, is an elliptical galaxy . Left of center, NGC 4976 is much farther away, at a distance of about 35 million light-years, and not physically associated with NGC 4945.