Messier 83

Messier 83 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Hydra, also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. It is a nearby, actively star-forming galaxy with a bright central bar and prominent spiral arms.

NGC 5236: NGC 5236 is the New General Catalogue designation for the galaxy Messier 83. This alternate designation appears in catalogues and research on the galaxy.
Barred Spiral Galaxy: A barred spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy whose central stars form an elongated bar. Messier 83’s central bar defines its broad morphological type.
Supernova: A supernova is a powerful stellar explosion that can briefly outshine an entire galaxy. Messier 83’s unusually rich record of supernovae makes it a useful setting for studying stellar deaths.
Hydra (constellation): Hydra is the largest of the 88 modern constellations, spanning much of the southern sky. Messier 83 appears in the direction of Hydra.
Charles Messier: Charles Messier was an eighteenth-century French astronomer who compiled a catalogue of nebulae and star clusters. He included Messier 83 in his catalogue after observing it in 1781.
SN 1983N: SN 1983N was a Type Ib supernova discovered in Messier 83 in 1983. Its discovery helped establish Type Ib supernovae as a distinct class.
Galactic Bar: A galactic bar is an elongated structure of stars and gas crossing a galaxy’s central region. The bar channels gas inward and helps organize Messier 83’s inner structure.
Type Ia Supernova: A Type Ia supernova is a thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf in a binary system. The Type Ia event SN 1957A occurred in Messier 83 and contributed to its supernova record.
Centaurus A: Centaurus A is a nearby elliptical galaxy with a prominent dust lane and active galactic nucleus. It is the other dominant galaxy in the nearby Centaurus A/M83 Group.
Messier Catalogue: The Messier Catalogue is a list of astronomical objects compiled by Charles Messier, first published in 1774. Messier 83 is one of its southern-sky entries.

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