"Unveiling the Enigmatic Layers of NGC 3923: A Captivating Shell Galaxy"

The Dark Energy Camera has captured an image of a "galactic onion," a shell galaxy called NGC 3923 with multiple layers spread out over 150,000 light-years. The image also showcases a nearby galaxy cluster exhibiting gravitational lensing. Shell galaxies are formed when two galaxies merge, with the larger galaxy gradually peeling off stars from the smaller galaxy's disk, creating concentric bands or shells. The image can be viewed in detail on the NOIRLab website.