Colliding galaxies: NGC 520NGC 520 is the product of a collision between two disc galaxies that started 300 million years ago. It exemplifies the middle stages of the merging process: the discs of the parent galaxies have merged together, but the nuclei have not yet coalesced. It features an odd-looking tail of stars and a pr…
Earth seen by Japan’s Himawari-8 Satellite from 22 000 miles (35 400 km) awayHimawari-8 Satellite, Orbit of the EarthJuly 2015Video Credit: JMA…
Earth's Atmosphere seen from International Space StationISS, Orbit of the EarthFebruary 2016Image Credit: NASA/ESA…
A spiral galaxy crowned by a starAnother treasure unearthed from the Hubble archives, this beautiful image shows a spiral galaxy named NGC 4517. Slightly bigger than our Milky Way, it is seen edge-on, crowned by a very bright star. The star is actually much closer to us than the galaxy, explaining why it appears to be so big and br…
Comparison of the Earth to NeptuneThe EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, the densest planet in the Solar System, the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets, and the only astronomical object known to harbor life.According to evidence from radiometric dating and other sources, Earth was formed about 4.54 bill…
Sun's reflection on lake seen from the International Space StationISS, Orbit of the EarthJune 2014Image Credit: NASA/ESA…
Sunrise seen from International Space StationISS, Orbit of the EarthJanuary 2016Image Credit: NASA/ESA…
Comparison of the Earth to the Rings of SaturnThe EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, the densest planet in the Solar System, the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets, and the only astronomical object known to harbor life.According to evidence from radiometric dating and other sources, Earth was formed about 4.54 bill…
The unique Red Rectangle: sharper than ever beforeThe star HD 44179 is surrounded by an extraordinary structure known as the Red Rectangle. It acquired its moniker because of its shape and its apparent colour when seen in early images from Earth. This strikingly detailed Hubble image reveals how, when seen from space, the nebula, rather than being …
Solar Eclipse seen by DSCOVR ObservatoryDSCOVR, 1 million miles from EarthMarch 9, 2016Image Credit: DSCOVR EPIC team. NASA Earth Observatory…
Messier 71: an unusual globular clusterThis spectacular NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows a bright scattering of stars in the small constellation of Sagitta (the Arrow). This is the centre of the globular cluster Messier 71, a great ball of ancient stars on the edge of our galaxy around 13 000 light-years from Earth. M71 is aro…
Comparison of the Earth to MercuryThe EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, the densest planet in the Solar System, the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets, and the only astronomical object known to harbor life.According to evidence from radiometric dating and other sources, Earth was formed about 4.54 bill…
V1331 CygWith its helical appearance resembling a snail’s shell, this reflection nebula seems to spiral out from a luminous central star in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image.The star in the centre, known as V1331 Cyg and located in the dark cloud LDN 981 — or, more commonly, Lynds 981 — had previous…
The Dumbbell NebulaThe Dumbbell Nebula — also known as Messier 27 or NGC 6853 — is a typical planetary nebula and is located in the constellation Vulpecula (The Fox). The distance is rather uncertain, but is believed to be around 1,200 light-years. It was first described by the French astronomer and comet hunter Char…
Hubble image of star cluster Messier 15This cluster of stars is known as Messier 15, and is located some 35 000 light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus (The Winged Horse). It is one of the oldest globular clusters known, with an age of around 12 billion years.Both very hot blue stars and cooler golden stars can be seen swarming …
Panorama of the Milky Way Galaxy above Mt Barney during a massive fireScenic Rim Region in Queensland, AustraliaSeptember 23, 2013Image Credit & Copyright: Rob Packer…
NGC 2683: The UFO GalaxyThe NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a UFO — well, the UFO Galaxy, to be precise. NGC 2683 is a spiral galaxy seen almost edge-on, giving it the shape of a classic science fiction spaceship. This is why the astronomers at the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory gave it this att…
2012 Total Solar Eclipse seen from AustraliaGranite, AustraliaNovember 14, 2012Video Credit & Copyright: Colin Legg…
Quadruple star system DI ChaTwo stars shine through the centre of a ring of cascading dust in this image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The star system is named DI Cha, and while only two stars are apparent, it is actually a quadruple system containing two sets of binary stars.As this is a relatively young star …
Ant-like Space Structure Previews Death of Our SunFrom ground-based telescopes, the so-called "ant nebula" (Menzel 3, or Mz 3) resembles the head and thorax of a garden-variety ant. This dramatic NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, showing 10 times more detail, reveals the "ant's" body as a pair of fiery lobes protruding from a dying, Sun-like s…
NASA, ESA Telescopes find evidence for Asteroid Belt around star VegaThis artist's concept illustrates an asteroid belt around the bright star Vega. Evidence for this warm ring of debris was found using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory, in which NASA plays an important role. Astronomers have discovered what ap…
Raining Loops on the SunEruptive events on the Sun can be wildly different. Some come just with a solar flare, some with an additional ejection of solar material called a coronal mass ejection (CME), and some with complex moving structures in association with changes in magnetic field lines that loop up into the Sun's atmo…
Solar Storms Ignite X-ray "Northern Lights" on JupiterSolar storms are triggering X-ray auroras on Jupiter that are about eight times brighter than normal over a large area of the planet and hundreds of times more energetic than Earth’s "northern lights," according to a new study using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. This result is the firs…
Comparison of the Earth to SaturnThe EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, the densest planet in the Solar System, the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets, and the only astronomical object known to harbor life.According to evidence from radiometric dating and other sources, Earth was formed about 4.54 bill…
Cities at Night seen from the International Space StationISS, Orbit of the EarthVideo Credit: ESA/NASA…
Lightning Strikes over the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle VolcanoPuyehue-Cordón Caulle, ChileJune 6, 2011Image Credit & Copyright: Francisco Negroni…
Artist's Impression of the surface of Jupiter's Moon EuropaThis artist's concept shows a simulated view from the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. Europa's potentially rough, icy surface, tinged with reddish areas that scientists hope to learn more about, can be seen in the foreground. The giant planet Jupiter looms over the horizon.Image Credit: NASA/JPL-C…
The Planet full of Water: Mars 4 billion years agoThis artist’s impression shows how Mars may have looked about four billion years ago. The young planet Mars would have had enough water to cover its entire surface in a liquid layer about 140 metres deep, but it is more likely that the liquid would have pooled to form an ocean occupying almost half …
Saturn's moon TitanThis composite image shows an infrared view of Saturn's moon Titan from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, acquired during the mission's "T-114" flyby on November 13, 2015. The spacecraft's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) instrument made these observations, in which blue represents wavelengt…
Messier 78: a reflection nebula in OrionThis image of the reflection nebula Messier 78 was captured using the Wide Field Imager camera on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory, Chile. This colour picture was created from many monochrome exposures taken through blue, yellow/green and red filters, supplemented by expos…
Lightning over Grand Canyon National ParkGrand Canyon, Arizona, USAAugust 30, 2013Image Credit & Copyright: Rex Features and Rolf Maeder…
Solar EruptionA solar eruption gracefully rose up from the Sun on December 31, 2012, twisting and turning. Magnetic forces drove the flow of plasma, but without sufficient force to overcome the Sun’s gravity much of the plasma fell back into the Sun.This four–hour event occurred from 10:20 am to 2:20 pm EST and w…
Colliding galaxies: NGC 6240NGC 6240 is a peculiar, butterfly- or lobster-shaped galaxy consisting of two smaller merging galaxies. It lies in the constellation of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder, some 400 million light-years away. Observations with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have disclosed two giant black holes, about 3,0…
Comparison of the Earth to the Great Red Spot of JupiterThe EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, the densest planet in the Solar System, the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets, and the only astronomical object known to harbor life.According to evidence from radiometric dating and other sources, Earth was formed about 4.54 bill…
