Dhaka, June 18 -- Astronomers have revealed a nearby spiral galaxy in all its brilliant glory, shining in thousands of colours.

The dazzling panoramic shot released Wednesday of the Sculptor galaxy by a telescope in Chile is so detailed that it's already serving as a star-packed map, reports AP.

Scientists used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope to observe the galaxy for some 50 hours, stitching together more than 100 exposures to create the picture. The image spans 65,000 light-years, almost the entire galaxy. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles.

Sculptor - officially labeled NGC 253 - is considered a starburst galaxy, one heavy with stellar action. It's located 11 million light-years away in the Southern Hemisphe...