Central 11 × 5 arcmin region of the Ks band VISTA image of NGC 253. The green lines are the isophote contours (the outer and inner contour levels correspond to a surface brightness of μ_Ks = 17.6 mag arcsec^-2 and μ_Ks = 13.5 mag arcsec^-2, respectively). On the right side of the image, the solid and dashed black lines indicate the directions of the disk and bar major axis respectively. The dashed blue annulus encircles the ring-like structure enclosing the bar.