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NGC 253
The Sculptor Galaxy, NGC 253
None This image of spiral galaxy NGC253 was taken with the National Science Foundation’s Blanco 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. NGC253 is the brightest member of the Sculptor group of galaxies, which is grouped around the south galactic pole (and therefore...
SMC
Small Magellanic Cloud
The glowing gas of the interstellar medium (ISM) is the breeding ground for the formation of new stars, and the cemetery where the ashes of dead stars ultimately return. A team led by astronomers from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) has conducted a new study called the...
NGC 2467
NGC 2467
An extremely active stellar nursery glows in deep reddish tones in this Gemini view of NGC2467 in the southern constellation of Puppis. The image displays a striking array of features that illustrate multiple phases of star birth. In the lower right, young stars are emitting hot radiation,...
Galactic Center
Galactic Center in Thermal IR
The center of our Milky Way Galaxy showing emission from hot gas that will either form stars or feed the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Technical Details: The image quality for this Brackett-alpha (hydrogen) line image is FWHM=0.35 arcsec. This image was obtained with the...
NGC 6357
Star Forming Region NGC 6357
Star forming region in Scorpius obtained with Gemini South using the University of Florida's "Flamingos-I" near-infrared imager/spectrograph. Technical Details: Made from J, H and K-short band images with a mean image quality of FWHM = 0.56 arcsec.
M94
M94, NGC 4736
None The Sab spiral galaxy M94 in the constellation Canes Venatici is considered by some (but not others) to be in a group including M64 and various fainter galaxies. It has an extremely bright innner region surrounded by a blue ring of young star clusters, then a fainter yellowish region of...
M100
M100, NGC 4321
None M100 is one of the brighter galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, although it's actually located in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is a spiral galaxy of type Sc, nearly face-on and showing strong blue (young star) spiral arms. In addition, this picture shows two nearby dwarf galaxies, while...
QSO PMN2314+0201
Gemini Deep Field is centered on z=4 quasar QSO PMN2314+0201
Gemini Deep Field is centered on z=4 quasar QSO PMN2314+0201.
M33
NIRI image superimposed
The same image with the NIRI image superimposed over the region it imaged. Note that the dust is invisible in the NIRI image and many of the blue stars shown in the WIYN image are much dimmer in the infrared.
M110
The Andromeda Galaxy
This picture shows M31 (NGC 224) and its small companions M32 (NGC 221), lower center, and NGC 205 (sometimes designated M110), to the upper right. The image was made by combining three separate frames derived from photographic plates taken in 1979 at the Burrell Schmidt telescope of the Warner...
Galactic Center
Hokupa'a image of full field of Galactic Center
Hokupa'a image of full field of Galactic Center (JHK' color composite).
NGC 6822
Local Group dwarf galaxy NGC 6822
The Local Group dwarf galaxy NGC 6822, as observed with the CTIO Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope and Mosaic II camera as part of the NOAO-sponsored Local Group Survey.
SN 2002dj
SN2002dj in NGC 5018
None This image of Supernova 2002dj was taken at the 0.9-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile on 14 June 2002. SN 2002dj is a Type-Ia supernova located in the nearby, early-type galaxy NGC5018. The supernova is the bluish object to the right of the galactic...
M16
M16: The Eagle Nebula
M16, commonly known as the Eagle Nebula, is an emission region of molecular hydrogen gas being illuminated by a young cluster of stars about 7000 lightyears away from us. The large pillar in the image is about 9 lightyears in length. This nebula is where the famous Pillars of Creation images...
M97
Gemini North image of the planetary nebula M97
Gemini North image of the planetary nebula M97, also knownas the Owl Nebula, imaged by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) as part of a Canadian contest for high school students. The approximately 6,000year-old nebula is located about 2,600 light-years away, and has a diameter ofabout...
M57
Ring Nebula, M57 (NGC 6720)
The WIYN 3.5-meter telescope on Kitt Peak took this image of the Ring Nebula on April 2, 2002 in a three-minute exposure aided by the WIYN Tip-Tilt Module (WTTM). This new adaptive optics device helps correct for degradation of the image quality due to atmospheric effects and shaking of the...
N44
N44 Superbubble Complex
In the area of NGC1929 in the LMC is found the complex nebula seen above. Known as the N44 superbubble complex, this turbulent emission nebula is dominated by a vast bubble about 325 by 250 light-years across. The bubble’s interior is formed either by massive winds produced by a cluster of a...
Crab Nebula
M1, NGC 1952, Crab Nebula
This is an enhanced color composite formed from two images of the well-known Crab Nebula, taken on the night of October 27th 1995 with the NOAO/STIS/Tektronix 2048x2048 CCD detector on the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope. At the focal plane of the WIYN, this detector has a sampling scale of 0.2 arc...
M17
The Omega Nebula, M17 (NGC 6618)
The Simultaneous Quad Infrared Imaging detector (SQIID) has returned to Kitt Peak with enhanced capabilities. This composite SQIlD multi-wavelength IR image of M17 (NGC6618), a region of massive star formation known variously as the Omega Nebula, the Swan Nebula, and the Horseshoe Nebula, was...
NGC 4013
Spiral galaxy NGC 4013
NGC4013, a large, nearby, edge-on spiral galaxy.
Sh-112
Sharpless 112, Emission 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. Sharpless 112 is an emission nebula. It is glowing deep red because the hydrogen gas in the nebula is energized by the star BD +45 3216 embedded within. This...
M15
M15, NGC 7078
Somewhat over 33000 light-years away and 120 light-years across, M15 in the constellation Pegasus is one of the more conspicuous of the large globular star clusters, almost visible to the naked eye. This picture was made from CCD images taken at the WIYN 0.9-meter Telescope in July and...
Hubble's Variable Nebula
NGC 2261, Hubble's Variable Nebula
These views of NGC2261, made from a combination of red (R), green (V), and blue (B) images, are given only in false color.
WR 157
Sharpless 157 (WR 157)
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...
Sh2-282
Emission Nebula Sh2-282
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Sh2-282 is an HII emission nebula. The red hydrogen gas is energized by the intense light from the bright blue stars that surround it. Several pillars can be...
And XXIX
Central region of GMOS-N observations of And XXIX
Central region of the GMOS-N observations of And XXIX against the less dense field of stars. The image is 4.3 arcminutes on a side, corresponding to 900 parsecs (or 3000 lightyears square) at the distance of And XXIX.
Sh2-260
Sh2-260 North
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. It shows the northern part of Sh2-260, an enigmatic HII region. The nebula also contains another lobe below the image. What is responsible for its twisted,...
RMC 136
RMC 136
This near-infrared image obtained with GeMS adaptive optics system resolves the stars inside RMC 136, a giant star cluster within the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The cluster produces most of the energy that energizes the Tarantula Nebula. The estimated mass of the cluster is...
M35
M35, NGC 2158
The open cluster M35 in the constellation Gemini contains a couple of hundred stars and is visible to the naked eye under good conditions. NGC2158, its fainter but compact neighbor to the south-west (lower right), is much harder to see in small telescopes, although prominent in this CCD image...
Ghost of Jupiter
Ghost of Jupiter, NGC 3242
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic Camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory on December 15th, 2006. This wide-field image shows the extended cloud of gas near the planetary nebula NGC 3242. Also known as the “Ghost of Jupiter”, NGC...
NGC 7000
North America Nebula, NGC 7000 East
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the KPNO 0.9m-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NGC 7000, also known as the North America Nebula, is a giant emission nebula in the constellation of Cygnus. This image shows the eastern part of the nebula,...
M100
Cluster of galaxies in Virgo
The Virgo cluster of galaxies contains over 2000 galaxies and dominates the Local Supercluster: this picture shows the western central region of the cluster. To the lower left is the giant elliptical galaxy M87, believed to be the dominant member and close to the dynamical center of the...
NGC 5905
Spiral Galaxies NGC 5905 & NGC 5908
This image was taken with the KPNO Mayall 4-meter telescope on April 10, 2007. Located in the constellation of Draco, NGC 5905 and NGC 5908 are two spiral galaxies that are relatively near to each other. NGC 5905, in the upper-right corner, is seen face-on; whereas NGC 5908, in the lower left...
M81
Galaxies M81 & M82
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the KPNO 0.9m-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. M81 (the spiral galaxy on the left) and M82 (the galaxy on the right) are two relatively nearby galaxies that are gravitationally interacting with each...
Lagoon Nebula
The Lagoon Nebula, M8 (NGC 6523)
The Lagoon Nebula, Messier object 8 (M8) or NGC 6523, in the constellation of Sagittarius, as seen by the Kitt Peak 4-meter Mayall telescope in 1973. North is at the top. The lagoon nebula glows with the red light of hydrogen (H alpha) excited by the radiation of very hot stars buried within...
NGC 6822
NGC 6822 and its rich neighborhood
A new color image of the nearby irregular galaxy NGC6822 shows a myriad of hot blue massive stars and several famous nebulae in impressive detail. NGC6822 is located approximately 1.6 million light-years from Earth, in the constellation Sagittarius. A member of the Milky Way galaxy's Local...
NGC 4395
Spiral Galaxy NGC 4395
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NGC 4395 is a spiral galaxy with a very low surface brightness. Unlike most galaxies the center of the galaxy is small and faint. Nearly all galaxies are...
NGC 1365
Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1365
NGC1365 is a giant Seyfert type galaxy in Fornax with a diameter of 200,000 light years. It is arguably the most prominant barred spiral in the sky. The bar rotates clockwise with velocities in the nucleus of 2000 km/sec resulting in one rotation in 350 million years. The knots seen along the...
Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy
This detailed image of the Andromeda Galaxy 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 Andromeda, the Princess, the Andromeda Galaxy is a large spiral galaxy very similar to our own Galaxy, the...
Cygnus Loop
Panoramic Loop in Cygnus
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the WIYN 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak, Arizona. It shows faint filaments that are part of a large supernova remnant called the Cygnus Loop. The Cygnus Loop is a giant supernova remnant. It is the remains of a star that...
Star XY Per
vdB 24, Star XY Per
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. vdB 24 is a reflection nebula in the constellation of Perseus. It is illuminated by the luminous and variable star 'XY Per', which is the bright star just...
M41
M41, NGC 2287
M41 is an open cluster in the constellation Canis Major. It contains only about one hundred stars, including several bright red giants (which appear orange, as do all red giants). The bright star in the SE corner (lower left) is a foreground blue giant, not part of the cluster. Roughly 2300...
M36
M36, NGC 1960
M36 is one of three bright open star clusters in the southern part of the constellation Auriga, along with M37 and M38. All three lie at similar distances of about 4000 light-years, but M36 is significantly younger and contains no evolved red giant stars. The present picture is a color...
NGC 5474
Dwarf Galaxy NGC 5474
Located in the constellation Ursa Major, NGC 5474 is a dwarf galaxy and nearest companion to the large spiral galaxy M101. Strong gravitational interactions with M101 have distorted the shape of NGC 5474, triggering star formation and offsetting the nucleus of the galaxy from the disk. This...
M65
M65, NGC 3623
M65 is a spiral galaxy of type Sa in the constellation Leo. At a distance of about 35 million light-years, M65 apparently forms a triplet with its neighbors M66 and NGC3628, as seen in this lower resolution but wider field image. This image was taken with the WIYN 0.9-meter telescope at the...
M17
M17, Omega
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the WIYN 0.9-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. M17, also informally known as the “omega nebula”, the “lobster nebula” and the “swan nebula” (among other names), is one of the largest and brightest...
M20
M20: The Trifid Nebula Wide
The Trifid Nebula or M20 is one of the most observed summer nebulae. It gets its distinct look from dust lanes that seem to divide the nebula into three parts. Located in the constellation Sagittarius, its distance is estimated at approximately 5,000 light years. This image was taken as part of...
NGC 7319
Stephanʼs Quintet
Great meaning and mystery dwell in a patch of sky no larger than a thumbtack held at arm's length. Nothing about this piece of sky has been easily understood ever since its discovery. Inhabited here is the great far-off maelstrom of Stephan's Quintet. The five galaxies in the center of this...
M43
M43, NGC 1982
M43 is part of the larger Orion nebula, seen in this excellent picture from the KPNO Mayall 4-meter telescope. The dark lane separating the pieces shows to good effect in this image, taken with the WIYN 0.9-meter telescope on the night of December 20th 2002 UT. The central star is a young...
IC 417
Emission Nebula IC 417
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Informally known as the spider, IC 417 is an emission nebula that is energized by embedded hot, massive blue stars. The bluish clouds of gas at the top of the...
Bubble Nebula
The Bubble Nebula, NGC 7635
The Bubble Nebula is a shell of gas and dust carved out by the stellar wind of the massive central star (BD+602522, for the cognoscenti), and ionized by the same star's high-energy light. The Bubble Nebula is in the constellation Cassiopeia, and is bright enough to be seen with a small...
M82
Starburst Galaxy M82
This image is a color-coded picture of the archetypal starburst galaxy M82. It shows the horizontal stellar disk of the galaxy, which harbors its active star formation, and a perpendicular supergalactic wind of ionized gas powered by the energy released in the starburst. To make this image,...
NGC 896
NGC 896
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the KPNO 0.9m-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NGC 896 is part of a large, diffuse nebula. Star formation inside NGC 896 energizes the gas. However, most of the star formation is obscured by dark dust...
M13
M13, NGC 6205
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. M13 is a giant globular cluster that consists of several hundred thousand stars. The cluster is about 150 light years in diameter. Like in all globular...
M23
M23, NGC 6494
The irregular star cluster M23, or NGC6494, is a bright, large, rich, rather attractive, cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. Some 2200 light-years away, M23 has a diameter of about 20 light-years (around 30 minutes of arc): this picture is 35 minutes across. M23 is over 200 million years...
NGC 5981
Trio of Galaxies (NGC 5981, NGC 5982 and NGC 5985)
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The edge-on galaxy NGC 5981 (top), the elliptical galaxy NGC 5982 (middle) and the spiral galaxy NGC 5985 (bottom) form a distinct trio. It is not clear if or...
M81
M81, NGC 3031
M81, a type Sb spiral 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.
30 Doradus
30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula, in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)
This image of 30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula, in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) was taken with the Curtis Schmidt telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, as part of the Magellanic Cloud Emission Line Survey (MCELS) project. The Tarantula Nebula is a giant...
HD 23514
Astronomers Spot Evidence for Colliding Planet Embryos in Famous Star Cluster
Color composite image of the Pleiades star cluster and surrounding region produced by Inseok Song of the Spitzer Science Center. The image was created by combining B, R and I band images from individual second generation Digital Sky Survey images into blue, green and red image layers,...
M65
M65
M65 is a member of the Leo Triplet of galaxies, along with its neighbors M66 and NGC 3628. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
M77
M77, NGC 1068
M77 is a type Sb spiral galaxy in the constellation Cetus. For various reasons, it is much more commonly referred to by its NGC number. NGC1068 is the nearest and brightest example of a type II Seyfert galaxy, showing broad and strong emission lines due to high velocity gas in the galaxy's...
M24
Sagittarius Star Cloud
M24 is something of an oddity, listed in Messier's original catalog as a large "nebulosity" a degree and a half across, and comprising a superposition on the sky of many stars spread out at different distances along our line of sight. It forms part of the Sagittarius spiral arm of our Galaxy....
M66
M66
M66 is a distorted spiral galaxy in the constellation of Leo. It is being tugged on by its nearby neighbors M65 and NGC 3628. In fact, the arms of this galaxy appear to rise above the main disk. The many bright blue and pink regions indicate the active star forming regions. M66 is estimated to...
M47
M47, NGC 2422
M47 is an open cluster in the constellation Puppis, and was known to several observers before being independently discovered by Messier. A coarse bright cluster of some 50 stars, it can be seen by the suitably primed naked eye at a good dark location, as a dim fuzzy spot. About 1600 light-years...
M48
M48, NGC 2548
M48 is an open cluster in the constellation Hydra. About 300 million years old and 1500 light-years away, M48 was unidentified until the 1950s due to a five-degree error in Messier's published position, making it perhaps the most missing of the 'missing' Messier objects. M48 contains close to a...
NGC 6960
Veil Nebula (partial)
The Veil nebula, also known as the Cygnus Loop, is an enormous region of diffuse gas emission, covering several degrees on the sky. Although this image is over a degree across (more than 40 light-years), using the full wide-field capability of the Schmidt telescope, it still shows only the...
NGC 7129
NGC 7129 in Cepheus
None NGC7129 is a star-forming and photodissociation region and reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus. Studies suggest that the principal stars in this region are well under a million years old, and are all still contributing to further star formation. To the right somewhat below center...
Pelican Nebula
Pelican Nebula Ionization Front
This is a false color composite image of the ionization front at the edge of the Pelican Nebula (IC5070) in the constellation Cygnus. By using narrow filters centered around the specific emission lines we expect to see from different elements in different states, we can determine exactly what...
Lagoon Nebula
The Lagoon Nebula, M8 (NGC 6523)
The Lagoon Nebula, Messier object 8 (M8) or NGC6523, in the constellation of Sagittarius. This full color image was created from eight images taken in the BVR pass-bands at the Burrell Schmidt telescope of Case Western Reserve University's Warner and Swasey Observatory. The Burrell Schmidt is...
M17
The Omega Nebula, M17
The Omega Nebula, M17 or NGC6618, in the constellation Sagittarius. M17 is a bright emission nebula excited by young stars, but with lanes of opaque dust; it is also referred to as the Swan Nebula and the Horseshoe Nebula. M17 is about 5700 light-years away and contains about 800 solar masses...
NGC 4214
Dwarf Galaxy NGC 4214
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NGC 4214 is a dwarf galaxy that is much smaller than our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Despite its small size, NGC 4214 is undergoing vigorous star formation,...
M17
The Omega Nebula, M17 (NGC 6618)
The Omega Nebula, M17 (NGC6618), as seen by the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope in 1993 (true color CCD image). M17 is a bright nebula with lanes of opaque dust; it is also referred to as the Swan Nebula and the Horseshoe Nebula. M17 is about 5700 light-years away in the direction of Sagittarius, and...
NGC 1275
Cluster of galaxies in Perseus
This cluster in the constellation Perseus includes the strong radio galaxy NGC1275. KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope, 1975.
NGC 7331
NGC 7331 in Pegasus
NGC7331, a type Sb spiral galaxy in the constellation Pegasus, is about 30000 light-years across and is located some 50 million light-years from Earth. KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope, 1975.
NGC 253
The Spiral Galaxy NGC 253
The Spiral Galaxy NGC253, as seen by the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope.
M104
M104, NGC 4594
None M104, or NGC4594, is a spiral galaxy, type Sa/Sb, in the constellation Virgo. M104 is popularly known as the Sombrero Galaxy due to its dark rim of obscuring dust around a large central bulge. In this picture, the dust shows up as brown due to its absorption of blue light (an effect known...
M105
M105, NGC 3379
M105 is a type E1 elliptical galaxy and the brightest member of the Leo I galaxy grouping, which includes M95 and M96 as well as various NGC and other galaxies. M105 was used as a photometric standard for surface brightness distributions due to the smoothness of its profile, but as is...
M101
Spiral galaxy M101 (NGC 5457)
Image of a southern section of M101, made from a combination of red (R) and almost-infrared (I) bands, displayed using false color.
M98
M98, NGC 4192
M98 is a nearly edge-on type Sb spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices. It contains a great deal of dust, which reddens the light of the small but bright central nucleus: some new star formation regions show up as blue knots. Note that in astronomical parlance, "reddening" makes the...
M101
Spiral galaxy M101 (NGC 5457)
Image of a northern section of M101, made from a combination of red (R) and almost-infrared (I) bands, displayed using false color.
M63
M63, NGC 5055
None M63 is a type Sbc spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. M63, occasionally called the Sunflower Galaxy for no very good reason, is around 10Mpc away and may be part of a loose physical group including M51 and several other smaller galaxies. This composite color image was created...
Pegasus dwarf galaxy
The Pegasus Local Group dwarf galaxy
The Pegasus Local Group dwarf galaxy, as observed with the KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope and Mosaic camera as part of the NOAO-sponsored Local Group Survey (PI: Philip Massey, Lowell Observatory). The image is a true-color combination of images in three of the filters used by the survey. The full...
Black Eye Galaxy
M64, NGC 4826
The "Black Eye" or "Sleeping Beauty" galaxy, M64 is a spiral galaxy of type Sb in the constellation Coma Berenices. The peculiar dust lane to the north of the nucleus (top of image) may have been created from a small companion galaxy absorbed into the main spiral, but not yet relaxed into the...
M66
M66, NGC 3627
M66 is a spiral galaxy of type Sb in the constellation Leo. At a distance of about 35 million light-years, M66 apparently forms a triplet with its neighbors M65 and NGC3628, as seen in this lower resolution but wider field image. This image was taken with the WIYN 0.9-meter telescope at the...
Sextans B
The Local Group dwarf galaxy Sextans B
The Local Group dwarf galaxy Sextans B, as observed with the KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope and Mosaic camera as part of the NOAO-sponsored Local Group Survey (PI: Philip Massey, Lowell Observatory). The image is a true-color combination of images in three of the filters used by the survey. The full...
M51
M51, the Whirlpool Nebula, NGC 5194/5195.
This image of M51 (NGC5194/5195), was made by combining three CCD frames, taken at the Kitt Peak 0.9m telescope in 1991. By using different filters in front of the monochrome detector, corresponding approximately to the primary colors red, green and blue, it is possible to recreate a true color...
Sextans A
The Local Group dwarf galaxy Sextans A
The Local Group dwarf galaxy Sextans A, as observed with the KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope and Mosaic camera as part of the NOAO-sponsored Local Group Survey (PI: Philip Massey, Lowell Observatory). The image is a true-color combination of images in three of the filters used by the survey. The full...
LMC
Large Magellanic Cloud
The Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite of our own Galaxy, is visible to the naked eye from the southern hemisphere. Because of its proximity, it can be studied in detail, and provides valuable insight into all galactic processes, especially by comparison to our own Galaxy. The most prominent...
NGC 5139
Summit Multimedia Visit 2017
In March 2017 a multimedia team visited Cerro Pachón to document LSST Facility construction. More details are at https://www.lsst.org/news/cerro-pach%C3%B3n-goes-hollywood.
Helix Galaxy
NGC 2685
NGC2685 is an interesting polar ring galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. It is also called the Helix Galaxy or the Pancake Galaxy. It has a set of unusual whorls, or helical filaments, surrounding the central spindle of a relatively normal S0 galaxy, and was called the most unusual galaxy...
ACO 3526
Cluster of galaxies in Centaurus
This cluster of galaxies in the constellation Centaurus is more easily seen from the Southern Hemisphere. CTIO 4-meter Blanco telescope, 1975.
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. KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope, 1974.
NGC 5529
NGC 5529
This edge-on spiral galaxy is located in the constellation Bootes. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 5746
NGC 5746
NGC 5746 is an edge-on spiral galaxy estimated to be about 95 million light years way. Edge-on galaxies like this provide astronomers with an opportunity to measure particular aspects of spiral galaxies. In this case, astronomers can measure the velocity of stars (by analyzing a the spectrum of...
IC 443
IC 443 Widefield
This supernova remnant is about 5000 years from Earth in the constellation Gemini. Can you see why it is sometimes called the Jellyfish Nebula? This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
Crab Nebula
Crab Nebula
Like few other celestial objects, the Crab nebula displays the death of a star in all of its beauty. Both colorful and convoluted filaments of gas expand violently away from the origin of the explosion. The cataclysmic end for this star was observed in 1054 AD by any of humanity that cared to...
Crab Nebula
Crab Nebula
Like few other celestial objects, the Crab nebula displays the death of a star in all of its beauty. Both colorful and convoluted filaments of gas expand violently away from the origin of the explosion. The cataclysmic end for this star was observed in 1054 AD by any of humanity that cared to...
Crab Nebula
Crab Nebula
Like few other celestial objects, the Crab nebula displays the death of a star in all of its beauty. Both colorful and convoluted filaments of gas expand violently away from the origin of the explosion. The cataclysmic end for this star was observed in 1054 AD by any of humanity that cared to...
NGC 2158
NGC 2158
This is quite an old open cluster, aged at about one billion years. It is located about 11,000 lightyears away in the constellation Gemini, very near M35. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 2266
NGC 2266
NGC 2266 is a relatively "old" star cluster comprising stars of around 1 billion years in age. Many of its members are quite evolved, having reached the red giant stage of their lives. Our own sun will become a red giant when it is around 10 billion years old. This means that many of the...
IC 1284
M24, NGC 6590, and IC1284:The Sagittarius Star Cloud
An image like this shows that our galaxy is always "partly cloudy." Not unlike Earthly clouds that block parts of the sky (say on a starry night), tremendous clouds of gas and dust obscure the things that are beyond them. However, breaks in these galactic clouds can also be seen, even towards...
M92
M92
This beautiful globular cluster is bright and can make a great binocular object under good viewing conditions. However, it is very often skipped in favor of its neighbor, M13. M92 is one of the oldest known globular clusters, at over 14 billion years in age. This image was taken as part of...
NGC 457
NGC 457: The "ET" Cluster
NGC 457 is an open cluster located in the constellation Cassieopeia. It is easily found in small telescopes, and a favorite for amateur astronomers who can imagine the nicknames of Owl Cluster and ET. The two bright stars in the upper left make up the eyes of ET. This image was taken as part of...
M13
M13
M13 is certainly the most famous globular cluster in the sky of the northern hemisphere. The visual appeal of a cluster like this is unmatched for most deep sky objects. This sphere of over 300,000 stars looks something like scattered diamonds in even relatively small telescopes. The stars in a...
M44
M44: The Beehive Cluster
M44 is a beautiful open cluster in the center of the constellation Cancer. It can be seen as a faint nebulosity with the naked eye under good viewing conditions, and is easily resolved with a small pair of binoculars or telescope. In fact, this is one object frequently better suited for...
M45
M45: The Pleiades
This very bright open cluster has a large angular extent, making it a great binocular object. If you viewed this object through a large telescope, you would only see a few stars, not the entire cluster. Perhaps the most famous open cluster, this is easily visible with the naked eye. In fact,...
NGC 6520
NGC 6520
This open cluster is located in the constellation Sagittarius, which looks toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 663
NGC 663
This is a fairly young (~20-25 million years) open cluster located in the constellation Cassiopeia. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
M7
M7
Messier 7, or the Ptolmey Cluster, can easily be found in the constellation Scorpius with the naked eye under dark skies. It makes a great binocular and telescope object. Open clusters that we view are generally much closer than globular clusters. Rather than being tens of thousands of...
M6
M6
This object, sometimes known as the Butterfly Cluster, is the first open cluster in Messier�s catalogue. At 1600 lightyears away, it is a beautiful binocular object. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
Abell 39
Abell 39
Abell 39 is perhaps one of the most perfect examples of a spherical planetary nebula in the galaxy. As expected, a sphere of gas will show a brighter limb ("edge") since that line of sight has more gas than the view through the center (two layers) of the bubble. This one is unfortunately very...
M3
M3
This ball of 500,000 stars is approximately 100 light years across. From a galactic perspective, this cluster is passing over our heads (galactic north) and is one of the first bright clusters to become available before the others closer to the galactic center. Some people believe that this...
Medusa nebula
PK205+14.1: The Medusa Nebula
The Medusa Nebula is a very ancient planetary nebula in the constellation of Gemini. Note that the inner bubble still has hints of blue and green structure, indicating that the central star (the slightly bluish one to the right of center) is still hot and makes the gas fluoresce. This image was...
NGC 7293
NGC 7293
At a distance of 450 light years away, this gas bubble released by a dying star is one the closest of its type. It is estimated that the process of ejection of these gas began some 10,000 years ago. The nebula is so close to us that its size on the sky is very large- almost the size of the...
NGC 7008
NGC 7008
Sometimes nicknamed the Fetus, this planetary nebula is located about 2800 lightyears away in the constellation Cygnus the Swan. Remember that planetary nebulae are regions of stellar death, not birth as the nickname "Fetus" would imply. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing...
M15
M15
The extremely bright and concentrated globular cluster, M15, is home to a unique planetary nebula called Pease 1. M15 is one of three globular clusters known to harbor a planetary nebula. For comparison, check out the Hubble Space Telescope image of this cluster. This image was taken as part of...
NGC 7094
NGC 7094
This planetary nebula is located in the constellation Pegasus, near the globular cluster M15. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 7139
NGC 7139
This faint planetary nebula is located about 4300 lightyears away in the constellation Cepheus. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 7048
NGC 7048
This beautiful planetary nebula is located within the rich constellation of Cygnus the Swan. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 6781
NGC 6781
This is an almost a perfect bubble of gas cast off by a single star that has died. The bubble continues to expand; it is approximately two light years across now. Its imperfection (from our perspective) is due to photodissociation (yes... this is a real word) by interstellar UV radiation....
