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This image of the Small Magellanic Cloud was captured with a camera and a wide-aperture telephoto lens from a mountain in Chile. (Image credit: NOIRLab\/NSF\/AURA\/P. Hor\u00e1lek (Institute of Physics in Opava))<\/p>\n
The Small Magellanic Cloud<\/a> (SMC) looks spectacular in a new snapshot. But something about it might really surprise you.<\/p>\n It looks like this detailed image of a far-off galaxy<\/a> was captured an advanced space telescope, or a huge ground-based scope. However, it was actually snapped with a camera sporting a telephoto lens from right here on Earth.<\/p>\n What is it? <\/p>\n The SMC is a dwarf galaxy<\/a> that holds hundreds of millions of stars<\/a>. The galaxy is near our very own Milky Way<\/a>; in fact, it’s one of our closest neighbors. Still, it is nearly 200,000 light-years away.<\/p>\n Article continues below <\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n Despite that distance, the SMC can be seen with the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere.<\/p>\n This unique visibility may have played a role in this spectacular image, which was captured by Petr Hor\u00e1lek, a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador, using a camera and a wide-aperture telephoto lens on the mountain Cerro Pach\u00f3n in Chile. This image capture took four hours under the dark skies above the mountain.<\/p>\n Why is it incredible? <\/p>\n In looking at this photo, you might assume it was captured by a space telescope like Hubble<\/a>. It’s a detailed and striking view of this far-off galaxy.<\/p>\n