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NGC 6520
The Starry Dandelion and the Cosmic Gecko NGC 6520
Millions of years ago, a dust cloud about 5,200 light-years from the Sun coalesced to begin the process of star birth. Today, some 190 million years later, NGC 6520 is ablaze with hot, massive young stars arrayed in a dandelion seed-shaped cluster. Not far away lies the gecko-shaped remains of...
IC 396A
IC 1396A Elephant Trunk Nebula
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. IC 1396 is a giant emission nebula that is over 3 degrees in diameter. It is illuminated by a hot, massive O-type star (HD 206267) near its center. The star...
Pickering's Triangle
Double-Wide Image of Pickering's Triangle
A new wide-field image of Pickering's Triangle taken with the National Science Foundation's Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory is being released today in Austin, Texas, at the 211th meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Pickering's Triangle is part of the Cygnus...
Horsehead Nebula
The Horsehead Nebula/IC434
This exceptional image of the Horsehead nebula was taken at the National Science Foundation's 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak with the NOAO Mosaic CCD camera. Located in the constellation of Orion, the Hunter, the Horsehead is part of a dense cloud of gas in front of an active star-forming...
Copeland Septet
Copeland Septet group of galaxies
A group of galaxies nicknamed the Copeland Septet, in the constellation of Leo. Astronomers using images from Kitt Peak National Observatory and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory have created the largest ever map of the sky, comprising over a billion galaxies. The final data release from...
NGC 520
NGC 520
A galactic collision of two galaxies which began more than 300 million years ago, NGC 520 is actually made up of two disk galaxies which will eventually merge together to form one larger, more massive system. NGC 520 was discovered by William Herschel in 1784 and is one of the largest and...
IC 4212
IC 4212
IC 4212 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It is situated close to the celestial equator, meaning it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year.
Milky Way
Deep Dive into Astronomical Data Tapestry of the Milky Way
This image, which is brimming with stars and dark dust clouds, is a small extract — a mere pinprick — of the full Dark Energy Camera Plane Survey (DECaPS2) of the Milky Way. The new dataset contains a staggering 3.32 billion celestial objects — arguably the largest such catalog so far. The data...
Abell 3158
Image of Abell 3158, Part of the DESI Legacy Imaging Survey
This is an image centered on a relatively nearby galaxy cluster dubbed Abell 3158; light from these galaxies had a redshift value of 0.059, meaning that it traveled approximately 825 million years on its journey to Earth. The image is a small part of the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys — a...
UGC 4640
DECam Legacy Survey Announces Third Data Release
The DECam Legacy Survey (DECaLS) has released reduced images and source catalogs covering between 4000 and 8000 square degrees of sky in three wavelength bands. Dive into survey images and explore the Universe with the survey’s Imagine Sky Viewer. DECaLS, which is being carried out on the CTIO...
TGU H1674
Dark Nebula TGU H1674
This is the dark nebula TGU H1674. Dark nebulae – or absorption nebulae – are clouds of gas and dust that are so dense they obscure and block visible light, making them appear inky black against the starry background. This object is one of the many cosmic treasures found within the new 1.3...
PNG 262.4-01.9
Planetary Nebula PNG 262.4-01.9
This is the planetary nebula PNG 262.4-01.9. A planetary nebula is a region of cosmic gas and dust formed from the cast-off outer layers of a dying star. This object is one of the many cosmic treasures found within the new 1.3 gigapixel Vela Supernova Remnant image, captured with the Department...
CI Ferrero 54
Globular Star Cluster CI Ferrero 54
This is the globular star cluster CI Ferrero 54. A globular cluster is a spheroidal conglomeration of stars that is bound together by gravity, with a higher concentration of stars towards their centers. This object is one of the many cosmic treasures found within the new 1.3 gigapixel Vela...
[FSR2007] 1410
Open Star Cluster [FSR2007] 1410
This is the open star cluster [FSR2007] 1410. An open star cluster is a loosely bound group of a few tens to a few hundred stars. They are found in spiral and irregular galaxies. This object is one of the many cosmic treasures found within the new 1.3 gigapixel Vela Supernova Remnant image,...
Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope
Background Galaxy Found in Image of Vela Supernova Remnant
This image shows a distant, twinkling spiral galaxy — one of the many cosmic treasures found within the new 1.3 gigapixel Vela Supernova Remnant image, captured with the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, mounted on the US National Science Foundation's Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter...
Pup A
Supernova Remnant Puppis A
Puppis A (Pup A) is a supernova remnant about 100 light-years in diameter and roughly 6500–7000 light-years away. This object is one of the many cosmic treasures found within the new 1.3 gigapixel Vela Supernova Remnant image, captured with the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy...
ANTL J102828-354128
Ultra-compact Dwarf Galaxy in the Antlia Cluster
The ultra-compact dwarf galaxy ANTL J102828-354128, found within a larger image of the Antlia Cluster — a group of at least 230 galaxies located about 130 million light-years away. This image was taken with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on...
ESO 375-53
Spiral Galaxy in the Antlia Cluster
Spiral Galaxy ESO 375-53, found within a larger image of the Antlia Cluster — a group of at least 230 galaxies located about 130 million light-years away. This image was taken with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the U.S. National Science...
ACO S 636
Galaxy Cluster in the Antlia Cluster
Galaxy cluster ACO S 636, found within a larger image of the Antlia Cluster — a group of at least 230 galaxies located about 130 million light-years away. This image was taken with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the U.S. National Science...
Antlia Cluster
Elliptical Galaxy in the Antlia Cluster
Elliptical galaxy NGC 3258, found within a larger image of the Antlia Cluster — a group of at least 230 galaxies located about 130 million light-years away. This image was taken with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the U.S. National...
M83
The Outskirts of the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy
Twelve million light-years away lies the galactic masterpiece Messier 83, also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. Its swirling spiral arms display a high rate of star formation and host six detected supernovae. This image was captured with the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy...
M83
The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (rotated)
Twelve million light-years away lies the galactic masterpiece Messier 83, also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. Its swirling spiral arms display a high rate of star formation and host six detected supernovae. This image was captured with the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy...
M83
Wide-field View of M83
A wide-field view of the area around M83, the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy.
NGC 3923
NGC 3923
The onion-like layers of shell galaxy NGC 3923 are beautifully showcased in this image taken with the DOE-built Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab. Located in the constellation Hydra...
PLCKESZ G287.0+32.9
PLCK G287.0+32.9 Gravitational Lensing
An extremely large gravitational lens around galaxy cluster PLCK G287.0+32.9
2MASX J11493310-2814370
Face-on spiral galaxy LEDA 744285
The face-on spiral galaxy LEDA 744285
ESO 440-11
Face-on spiral galaxy ESO 440-11
The face-on spiral galaxy ESO 440-11
HH 77
Herbig-Haro Objects 76 and 77
A close-up of two Herbig-Haro (HH) objects found in the Circinus West molecular cloud: HH 76 (above center of image) and HH 77 (lower left). HH objects are glowing red patches of nebulosity commonly found near newborn stars. They form when fast-moving gas thrown out by stars smashes into...
Herbig-Haro Object 139
A close-up of Herbig-Haro (HH) object 139, found in the Circinus West molecular cloud. HH objects are glowing red patches of nebulosity commonly found near newborn stars. They form when fast-moving gas thrown out by stars smashes into slower-moving gas in the surrounding molecular cloud or...
Herbig-Haro Objects 140–143
A collection of Herbig-Haro (HH) objects found in the Circinus West molecular cloud. HH objects are glowing red patches of nebulosity commonly found near newborn stars. They form when fast-moving gas thrown out by stars smashes into slower-moving gas in the surrounding molecular cloud or...
Planetary Nebula G317.0-04.0
A planetary nebula found in the Circinus West molecular cloud. Planetary nebulae are the outermost layers of aging red giant stars, thrown out into space at the end of a star’s life. This image was taken with the Department of Energy-fabricated 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera (DECam) — one of...
ACO 3574
A Cluster of Interacting Galaxies
The galaxy cluster Abell 3574 is captured here by the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope, one of around 40 telescopes at the U.S. National Science Foundation Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile,...
M82
A starburst shines in infrared
Featured in this NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month is a nearby galaxy that outshines the Milky Way. This galaxy, called Messier 82 (M82) or the Cigar Galaxy, is situated just 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Despite being smaller than the...
GOODS-S field (NIRCam image)
How did the first stars and galaxies form? The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope is already providing new insights into this question. One of the largest programs in Webb’s first years of science was the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey, or JADES, which devoted about 32 days of...
NGC 6951
Starbursting centre
The glittering galaxy in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week is NGC 6951, which resides about 70 million light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. As this Hubble image shows, NGC 6951 is a spiral galaxy with plenty of intriguing structures. Most eye-catching are its...
NGC 7496
A well-studied spiral
The celestial object that is displayed in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week is NGC 7496, a galaxy located over 24 million light-years away in the constellation Grus (The Crane). NGC 7496 is a dusty spiral galaxy with a bar of stars stretching across its centre. Adding to...
NGC 3370
Focusing on NGC 3370
Today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week features a galaxy that Hubble has captured multiple times over more than 20 years. The galaxy is called NGC 3370, and it is a spiral galaxy located nearly 90 million light-years away in the constellation Leo (The Lion). What is it about this galaxy that...
NGC 4571
Spiralling star factory
A star-studded spiral galaxy shines in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week. This galaxy is called NGC 4571, and it’s situated about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. NGC 4571 dominates the scene with its feathery spiral structure and sparkling...
Cha 1107-7626
Location in the sky of the rogue planet Cha 1107-7626 (infrared)
This infrared image, taken with ESO’s Visible and Infrared Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) shows the position in the sky of the rogue planet Cha 1107-7626. The planet is a dot located exactly at the centre of the frame.
NGC 288
4MOST first-light field-of-view
On October 18, the 4MOST instrument used its 2400 fibres for the first time to analyse the light from different cosmic objects. The spectrograph, which is installed on ESO’s VISTA telescope, observed a large patch of sky containing two prominent objects: the Sculptor Galaxy and the globular...
WOH G64
Image of the star WOH G64 taken by the VLTI
This is an image of the star WOH G64, taken by the GRAVITY instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO’s VLTI). This is the first close-up picture of a star outside our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The star is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud,...
Cha 1107-7626
Location in the sky of the rogue planet Cha 1107-7626 (visible light)
This visible-light image, part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2, shows the position in the sky of the rogue planet Cha 1107-7626. The planet (not visible here) is located exactly at the centre of the frame.
Sagittarius B2
Sagittarius B2 (MIRI Image)
Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) shows the Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) region in mid-infrared light, with warm dust glowing brightly. To the right is one clump of clouds that captured astronomers’ attention. It is redder than the rest of the clouds in the image and corresponds to an area that...
Sagittarius B2
Sagittarius B2 (NIRCam Image)
Stars, gas and cosmic dust in the Sagittarius B2 molecular cloud glow in near-infrared light, captured by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera). In this light, astronomers see more of the region’s diverse, colorful stars, but less of its gas and dust structure. Webb’s instruments each provide...
Pismis 24
Pismis 24 (NIRCam Image)
Webb captured this sparkling scene of star birth in Pismis 24, a young star cluster about 5,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Scorpius. This region is one of the best places to explore the properties of hot young stars and how they evolve.
Sh2-284 p1
Stellar Jet in Sh2-284
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope recently imaged an extremely large and symmetric protostellar jet at the outskirts of our Milky Way galaxy in the forming cluster Sh2-284. From tip to tip, this protostellar jet is 8 light-years across, about double the distance from our Sun to its closest...
NGC 6072
NGC 6072 (MIRI Image)
The mid-infrared view of planetary nebula NGC 6072 from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows expanding circular shells around the outflows from the dying central star, which astronomers suspect is that pinkish white dot at the center of the image. The longer wavelengths captured by Webb’s...
NGC 6072
NGC 6072 (NIRCam Image)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s view of planetary nebula NGC 6072 in the near-infrared shows a complex scene of multiple outflows expanding out at different angles from a dying star at the center of the scene. There is one stretching from roughly 11 to 5 o’clock, another from 1 to 7...
Comet 3I/ATLAS
Comet 3I/ATLAS
This is a Hubble Space Telescope image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Hubble photographed the comet on July 21, 2025, when the comet was 277 million miles from Earth. Hubble shows that the comet has a teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust coming off its solid, icy nucleus. Because Hubble was...
NGC 6099
NGC 6099 (Hubble + Chandra)
A Hubble Space Telescope image of a pair of galaxies: NGC 6099 (lower left) and NGC 6098 (upper right). The purple blob depicts X-ray emission from a compact star cluster. The X-rays are produced by an intermediate-mass black hole tearing apart a star.
NGC 3370
NGC 3370 (wide view)
Today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week features a galaxy that Hubble has captured multiple times over more than 20 years. The galaxy is called NGC 3370, and it is a spiral galaxy located nearly 90 million light-years away in the constellation Leo (The Lion). What is it about this galaxy that...
Circinus Galaxy
Black holes don’t suck, they get fed!
Today’s Picture of the Week gives us a closer look at how black holes in the centre of galaxies feast. As some of you already know, the common belief that black holes simply suck in anything that comes near them, is wrong. Material can only fall into a black hole when it’s slowed down somehow —...
Gum 39
Fireworks of newborn stars
Even though it looks stunning by itself, this Picture of the Week is actually only a tiny part of a 1.5-billion-pixel image of the Running Chicken Nebula. It forms the comb on the running chicken’s head — at least according to some people, because everyone seems to see a different chicken! The...
Bubble Nebula
Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635)
This central, cosmetically corrected view of NGC 7635 shows the nebulosity carved out by the winds of the massive central star and demonstrates the exquisite image quality of the new One Degree Imager camera on the WIYN 3.5-m telescope. A wide-view image of the nebula, demonstrating the large...
SN 2002ic
SN2002ic
This image of Supernova 2002ic was taken at the Swope 1-meter telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile on January 7, 2003. The supernova is the bright point of light in the center, at the intersection of two background galaxies. The host galaxy of the supernova is extremely faint and is...
SN 2019ehk
Hubble Space Telescope image of SN 2019ehk
Hubble Space Telescope image of SN 2019ehk in its spiral host galaxy, Messier 100. The image is a composite made of pre- and post-explosion images.
Excerpt of the area around NGC 4261
A trail of celestial objects stretches across this excerpt from a First Look image captured by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The most prominent feature is NGC 4261, the large elliptical galaxy in the top half of the image. In the bottom-left of the image is the lenticular galaxy NGC 4281....
Portion of Virgo Cluster (with asteroids)
A close-up on two galactic members of the Virgo Cluster as imaged by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. During its observations Rubin captured a plethora of asteroids zipping across this portion of the night sky, indicated by the tri-colored streaks scattered throughout this image. View a...
Portion of Virgo Cluster (without asteroids)
A close-up on two galactic members of the Virgo Cluster as imaged by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. During its observations Rubin captured a plethora of asteroids zipping across this portion of the night sky. The tiny streaks left behind from the asteroids have been removed from this image....
Abell 3667
DECam’s Deep View of Abell 3667
Abell 3667 — an actively merging galaxy cluster — is featured in this image assembled from over 28 hours of observations with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo...
NGC 2775
Spiral, elliptical or neither?
Today’s NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week features a galaxy that’s hard to categorise. The galaxy in question is NGC 2775, which lies 67 million light-years away in the constellation Cancer (The Crab). NGC 2775 sports a smooth, featureless centre that is devoid of gas,...
NGC 6000
Yellow and blue, old and new
Stars of all ages are on display in today’s NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week. This sparkling spiral galaxy is called NGC 6000 and it is located 102 million light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. This galaxy has a glowing yellow centre and glittering blue outskirts....
M82
The smouldering heart of a celestial cigar
What lurks behind the dense, dusty clouds of this galactic neighbour? There lies the star-powered heart of the galaxy Messier 82 (M82), also known as the Cigar Galaxy. Located just 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Bear), the Cigar Galaxy is considered a...
NGC 7456
A galaxy with lots to see
While it may appear unassuming at first glance, just another spiral galaxy among thousands in the Universe, this subject of the ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week has plenty to study. NGC 7456 is its name, located over 51 million light-years away in the constellation Grus (the Crane). In this image...
LMC N44C
Cloudy cluster
This new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week features a cloudy starscape from an impressive star cluster. This scene is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy situated about 160 000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa. With a mass equal to...
GRB 250702BDE
GRB 250702B, an unusually long and repeating gamma-ray burst
The orange dot at the centre of this image is a powerful explosion that repeated several times over the course of a day, an event unlike anything ever witnessed before. The image, taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), allowed astronomers to determine that the explosion didn’t take place...
GRB 250702BDE
Wider view of the area around the gamma-ray burst GRB 250702B
This image shows a wider area around the gamma-ray burst GRB 250702B, a high energy explosion that repeated several times over the course of a day. The image was taken on 3 July using the HAWK-I infrared camera on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). The explosion is the orange source right at the...
HOPS-315
Jets of silicon monoxide in the baby star HOPS-315
This image shows jets of silicon monoxide (SiO) blowing away from the baby star HOPS-315. The image was obtained with the with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner. The blue jet is moving towards us, and the red one is moving away. Observations...
HOPS-315
ALMA image of HOPS-315, a still-forming planetary system
This is HOPS-315, a baby star where astronomers have observed evidence for the earliest stages of planet formation. The image was taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner. Together with data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), these...
Vela Supernova Remnant
This is all that’s left of a giant star
Around 11 000 years ago a massive star ended its life in a powerful explosion, known as a supernova. During explosions like this, shock waves ripple out through the surrounding gas, compressing it into intricate thread-like structures. The energy that’s released during a supernova then heats...
Gum 3
A Koi-smic fish
This Picture of the Week shows the brightly coloured Gum 3 nebula as seen with the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), hosted at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in the Chilean Atacama Desert. Attentive viewers may find that part of Gum 3 resembles a Koi fish in this VST image. Equipped with the OmegaCAM...
RCW 38
The RCW 38 cluster in infrared light
This is an 80-million-pixel picture of the star cluster RCW 38, located 5500 light-years away in the constellation Vela. RCW 38 is a young cluster containing about 2000 stars, and is bursting with star-forming activity. The picture was taken with ESO’s Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for...
Infinity Galaxy
Chandra Joins In Discovery of Infinity Galaxy and Possible Newborn Black Hole
Scientists have discovered an oddly-shaped galaxy that may contain the first newborn supermassive black hole ever spotted.
MSH 15-52
X-ray, Radio Go 'Hand in Hand' in New NASA Image
In 2009, Chandra released a captivating image: a pulsar and its surrounding nebula that is shaped like a hand. Since then, astronomers have used Chandra and other telescopes to continue to observe this object.
NGC 2276
Spiral galaxy NGC 2276
his is a combination of several exposures taken on the night of October 11th 1994 (UT of observation 12/10/94:10:43 to 11:00) with the 1k detector. Images were taken through three different filters approximating red (three exposures for a total of six minutes), blue (two, total 140 seconds) and...
NGC 1097
NGC 1097 at J
A Seyfert galaxy revealing its bright and active nucleus. This false-color image was made from several J-band (1.25 micron) observations and has a final FWHM of 0.5 arc seconds. This image was obtained with the Abu thermal infrared camera built by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, on...
NGC 1232
NGC 1232 in Eridanus
NGC1232, an almost face-on spiral galaxy of type Sc in the constellation Eridanus, is about 50 million light-years away and about 100000 light-years across. This true-color picture was created from eleven images taken in the BVR pass-bands at the Kitt Peak National Observatory's 2.1-meter...
M109
M109, NGC 3992
M109 is a type SBc barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. M109 is around 40 to 50 million light-years away in a loose galaxy grouping which includes M108 and possibly M106. This picture was created from observations using the T2KA CCD camera at the Kitt Peak National...
M110
M110, NGC 205
M110 is the second small companion (along with M32) to our sister galaxy, M31, the Andromeda Nebula. It is classified as type E5 or E6, often with the additional "p" for peculiar because of the structure clearly visible in this short exposure image, which is probably due to dust clouds. Because...
M108
M108, NGC 3556
M108 is a type Sc spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. Almost edge-on, it shows little or no bulge and no noticeably strong center, being a motley collection of features often referred to, in classic understatement, as very dusty. The spiral structure is not very clearly delineated,...
M101
M101, NGC 5457
The giant pinwheel galaxy, M101, in the constellation Ursa Major. Of type Sc, and quite similar to our own Galaxy, it is seen almost face-on, showing the spiral arms and the intervening dust lanes (dark filaments) with great clarity in this 1975 image from the Kitt Peak 4-meter Mayall...
M88
M88, NGC 4501
None M88, a symmetrical type Sc spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. This picture is from the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope. The Virgo cluster also includes Messier galaxies M49, M58, M59, M60, M61, M84, M85, M86, M87, M89, M90, M91, M98,...
M96
M96, NGC 3368
The Sa spiral galaxy M96 is the second brightest member of the Leo I galaxy grouping, which includes M95 and M105, as well as various NGC and other galaxies. At a distance of about 38 million light-years, the faint outer regions just visible at the top and (particularly) the bottom of this...
M82
M82, NGC 3034
M82, an irregular galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. This composite color image was created from CCD observations made at the Kitt Peak National Observatory's 0.9-meter telescope in late December 1994.
M74
M74, NGC 628
None A face-on type Sc spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces, M74 is about 30 million light-years away and about 80000 light-years across. KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope, 1975.
M49
M49, NGC 4472
None An elliptical galaxy of type E4 in the constellation Virgo, M49 is one of the many members of the Virgo Cluster. This short exposure picture shows the smooth mostly featureless structure typical of elliptical galaxies. This picture was taken in December 1996 at the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope:...
M60
M60, NGC 4649
M60 is a large elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo, being about 120000 light-years across. It stands out in even small telescopes due to the proximity of the late-type spiral NGC4647 (to the NW), but such apertures may only see the central brighter regions, making M60 look considerably...
M61
M61, NGC 4303
The SABbc spiral galaxy M61 is one of the larger galaxies in the Virgo cluster, with a core dimension some 100000 light-years (6 arc minutes) across, comparable to the size of our own Galaxy. This picture was taken in February 1996 at the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope. The Virgo cluster also...
NGC 598
M33, NGC 598
The Triangulum Galaxy, M33, a type Sc spiral, was imaged by the KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope in 1975. A member of our Local Group of galaxies, it is just visible with the naked eye.
M31
A piece of M31
Part of the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, seen through a narrow filter near, but not at, the H-alpha emission line of ionized hydrogen.
LMC
The Large Magellanic Cloud
A nearby irregular galaxy, the LMC is visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere and is a satellite to our own Galaxy. The large gaseous nebula is 30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula. From the CTIO Curtis Schmidt telescope, 1975.
Abell 2151
Cluster of galaxies in Hercules
None Abell 2151, the Hercules cluster, is a small, irregular cluster, with a core membership of fewer than 100 galaxies, and no strongly dominant central galaxy. It is more than 360 million light-years away and probably contains 1000 billion solar masses of sundry materials. It contains the two...
Pelican Nebula
Pelican Nebula Ionization Front
These images were obtained with the MOSAIC CCD camera at the prime focus of the Mayall 4-meter reflector, and show a 36 arc minute field of view that contains the well known Pelican nebula, located at the northwest rim of the giant HII region W80 (the North America/Pelican Nebula) in Cygnus....
ACO 568
Distant cluster of galaxies in Gemini
KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope, 1975.
Hydra Cluster
Cluster of galaxies in Hydra
This distant cluster of galaxies in the constellation Hydra clearly shows the mythological water serpent. KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope, 1974.
Coma Berenices
Cluster of galaxies in Coma Berenices
None The Coma Berenices cluster of galaxies contains more than 1000 galaxies, with a large number of E (elliptical) and S0 (lenticular) types. The color image was created from three separate exposures taken in blue, red and almost-infrared light, using the Kitt Peak National Observatory's...
IC 5070
The Pelican Nebula (IC 5070)
This image was taken with the KPNO/WIYN 0.9m telescope on May 24, 2002. It shows the “ionization front” in the Pelican nebula, a giant nearby star-formation region. The Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) is located in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan. Its pillars are being sculpted by the intense...
NGC 2420
Solar composition star cluster
New observations of the richly populated star cluster NGC 2420 taken by the refurbished WIYN 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory suggest that the cluster contains a multitude of clues about the history and evolution of the Milky Way. NGC 2420 consists of approximately 1,000...
NGC 536
NGC 536: Hickson 10
This group of four galaxies is around 220 million light years away. The collection of spiral galaxies on the left side of the image include: (from top to bottom) NGC 542, NGC 536 and NGC 531. The warped arms of the latter two galaxies strongly suggests they are interacting with one another. NGC...
Abel 370
SAM images gravitational arcs in the Abel 370 cluster of galaxies
Nearly every "star" in this image is actually a galaxy. The SOAR Adaptive Module (SAM), built by CTIO/NOAO-S, is mounted on the SOAR 4.1 meter telescope: it creates an artificial laser guide star which enables the exquisite resolution seen here. The dark shadow on the left ( as seen in the full...
Galactic Center
Galactic Center
This extremely high resolution image of the region around the galactic center (at lower right) shows new details including a bow-shock structure in an infrared source called IRS-8 (see close-up on this album). See Image Release for details Technical Details: Image is moasic of 4 images combined...
Rosette HH1
Rosette HH1
This is a zoomed in image of the area containing the Young Stellar Object Rosette HH1. The area is indicated by the box in Image 2 above.
M3
M3, NGC 5272
A sixth magnitude globular cluster in the constellation Canes Venatici, this ball of 500,000 stars is approximately 160 light-years across and 100,000 light-years from Earth. This image of M3 is a combination of a B-band image and a Z-band image (Z is approximately from 8500 to 9500 A) taken on...
M6
M6, NGC 6405; Butterfly Cluster
The open star cluster M6, or NGC6405, is also known as the Butterfly Cluster. M6 is visible to the naked eye in the constellation Scorpius. The visually most conspicuous star is rather reddish and is actually a slow, semiregular variable. M6 is variously estimated as between 50 and 100 million...
IC 1396
Van den Bergh 142 and IC 1396
IC 1396, also known as the Elephant Trunk Nebula, is another region of recent star formation. Many stars in this area are less than a couple hundred thousand years old - very young in the grand scheme of astronomy, where stars live to be billions of years old! The hot young stars are in the...
NGC 3842
NGC 3842
This collection of galaxies is part of a much larger cluster of galaxies (Abell 1367). From bottom left to top right the diagonal of galaxies includes NGC 3837, NGC 3842 (the large elliptical), NGC 3841, NGC 3845, NGC 3844, and NGC 3840 (the spiral at the very top right). All of these galaxies...
NGC 4088
NGC 4088
This spiral galaxy is located about 50 million lightyears away in the constellation Ursa Major. It had the third brightest supernova to be detected in 2009. It is part of a group of up to 50 other galaxies. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak...
Milky Way
Galactic Center at 4 microns
This image shows the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy in the infrared at 4.05 microns, centered around the Brackett Alpha emission line. Despite being a combination of 42 separate frames, each separately calibrated for sky emission, the final picture still has a mean FWHM averaged over 24...
Sh2-71
SH2-71
SH2-71 is a complex bipolar planetary nebula. Its convoluted nature is probably due to the fact that the central star is a binary system. The overall luminosity of this nebula is over 1000 times that of our sun. The gases near the center are being pushed away from the central star are...
NGC 6140
NGC 6140
This spiral galaxy is located in the constellation Draco. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 5907
NGC 5907
NGC 5907 is an edge-on spiral galaxy located about 50 million lightyears away from Earth in the constellation Draco. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 6027
NGC 6027
This group of six galaxies has a controversial background that is similar to another famous group - Stephan's Quintet. In this example, five of the six galaxies show recessional velocities (redshifts) that are approximately equivalent. However the small spiral galaxy has a retreating velocity...
NGC 428
NGC 428
NGC 428 is approximately 70 million light years away. Its distorted shape leads astronomers to think that this galaxy may have absorbed another galaxy in its recent history. The many starforming regions and bright blue star clusters hint at the activity present in the disk of this galaxy. The...
Trapezium
First Light Image Gemini South
This is the first light image from Gemini South. It shows a small section of the Trapezium region of the Orion Nebula as seen at infrared wavelengths using the Flamingos-I near infrared imager.
M4
M4, NGC 6121
M4, a globular cluster in the constellation Scorpius, is about 7000 light-years away from us, which makes it a good candidate for being our nearest globular cluster. M4 shows an unusual central bar structure, and would be much brighter if not for considerable intervening interstellar dust,...
Bubble Emission Nebula
M52 and the Bubble Nebula
Open star cluster M52 (NGC7654) and the Bubble emission nebula (NGC7635). This combination of CCD images from the Kitt Peak Burrell Schmidt telescope extends more than a degree across the sky (twice the diameter of the full moon). A closer view of M52 is also available, as well as an...
M20
M20 (NGC, Trifid) and M21 (NGC 6531)
TheTrifid Nebula, M20 (upper left, NE) and the open star cluster M21 (lower right, SW), are close enough together on the sky that they both appear in this wide-field, 51 arc minute square picture taken with the Burrell Schmidt telescope of Case Western Reserve University's Warner and Swasey...
NGC 6745
Interacting galaxies NGC 6745
This is a Hubble Heritage image created by current and former NOAO staff members. The text is modified from the STScI press release, number STScI-PRC00-34 (Heritage). NGC6745 in the constellation of Lyra is a striking example of a galaxy-galaxy collision. A large spiral galaxy, with its nucleus...
NGC 6914
NGC 6914 Widefield
This emission and reflection nebula lies about 6000 lightyears away in the constellation Cygnus the Swan. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 5216
NGC 5216 and NGC 5218
In most pictures galaxies seem to be rather organized and substantial if not "solid-like" objects. However, no process better shows the ethereal and delicate nature of galaxies than when they collide. Unlike dancers on a dance floor, a galactic tango will strip stars and gas in a mutual...
