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ALMA Returns to Boomerang Nebula
Composite image of the Boomerang Nebula, a pre-planetary nebula produced by a dying star. ALMA observations (orange) showing the hourglass-shaped outflow, which is embedded inside a roughly round ultra-cold outflow. The hourglass outflow stretches more than three trillion kilometers from end to...
VLA Gives New Insight Into Galaxy Clusters Spectacular Mini-Halo
VLA Gives New Insight Into Galaxy Cluster’s Spectacular “Mini-Halo”
Artist's Conception of Cygnus A's Companion
Artist's conception of newly-discovered secondary supermassive black hole orbiting the main, central supermassive black hole of galaxy Cygnus A.
The Ultra-Cold Outflow of the Boomerang Nebula
The Boomerang Nebula, a pre-planetary nebula produced by a dying star. ALMA observations show the hourglass-shaped outflow, which is embedded inside a roughly round ultra-cold outflow. The hourglass outflow stretches more than three trillion kilometers from end to end (about 21,000 times the...
The Magnetic Field of Ser-emb 8
Texture represents the magnetic field orientation in the region surrounding the Ser-emb 8 protostar, as measured by ALMA. The gray region is the millimeter wavelength dust emission.
Chaotically Magnetized Cloud Is No Place to Build a Star, or Is It?
Chaotically Magnetized Cloud Is No Place to Build a Star, or Is It?
Heart of an Exploded Star Observed in 3-D
Remnant of Supernova 1987A as seen by ALMA. Purple area indicates emission from SiO molecules. Yellow area is emission from CO molecules. The blue ring is Hubble data that has been artificially expanded into 3-D.
Stars Birth May Have Triggered Another Star Birth
Star’s Birth May Have Triggered Another Star Birth
VLBA Reveals First-Ever Black Hole "Visual Binary"
VLBA image of the central region of the galaxy 0402+379, showing the two cores, labeled C1 and C2, identified as a pair of supermassive black holes in orbit around each other.
Measuring Magnetic Fields
Artist\'s conception of gravitational lens arrangement that allowed astronomers to measure galaxy\'s magnetic field.
Saturns Moon Offers Glimpse of Earths Primordial Past
Saturn’s Moon Offers Glimpse of Earth’s Primordial Past
ALMA Finds Organohalogen Methyl Chloride Around Infant Stars
Organohalogen methyl chloride discovered by ALMA around the infant stars in IRAS 16293-2422. These same organic compounds were discovered in the thin atmosphere surrounding 67P/C-G by the Rosetta space probe. The background image of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is from NASA\'s Wide-field...
Aging Star Blows Off Smoky Bubble
This ALMA image reveals much finer structure in the U Antliae shell than has previously been possible. Around 2700 years ago, U Antliae went through a short period of rapid mass loss. During this period of only a few hundred years, the material making up the shell seen in the new ALMA data was...
Planning Begins For Next Leap Forward in Research Capability
Artist\'s conception of the multi-antenna Next generation VLA (ngVLA).
The new VLA Sky Survey (VLASS) sharpens the view. Here is the same radio-emitting object as seen, from left to right, with the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS), the FIRST Survey, and the VLASS. The VLASS image, unlike the others, allows astronomers to positively identify the image as jets of material...
A Starbursting Merger in the Early Universe
Artist impression of two starbursting galaxies beginning to merge in the early universe.
VLBA Global Locations
Artist\'s conception of the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), a continent-wide radio telescope system
Methyl Chloride in Comet 67P/C-G
Approximate location of comet 67P/C-G when the Rosetta space probe discovered traces of methyl chloride -- the same molecule detected by ALMA around the IRAS 16293-2422 star-forming region -- along with other molecules.
The Parallax Technique
Parallax technique determines distance by measuring the angle of apparent shift in an object\'s position, as seen from opposite sides of Earth\'s orbit around the Sun.
Abell 2744, Radio Only
Radio-only image of Abell 2744 region, showing radio-emitting features caused by subatomic particles accelerated to high speeds by the collisions of giant clusters of galaxies.
Radio Relics in Cluster Abell 2744
Multi wavelength composite astronomical image using data from the Jansky Very Large Array, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and optical data from the VLT and Subaru Telescopes.
Pair of Exceptionally Rare Hyper-luminous Galaxies Discovered with ALMA
Composite image of ADFS-27 galaxy pair. The background image is from ESA\'s Herschel Space Observatory. The object was then detected by ESO\'s Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) telescope (middle image). ALMA (right) was able to identify two galaxies: ADFS-27N (for North) and ADFS-27S (for...
Jets in a Newly Formed Star
Double-lobe feature produced by jets from one of the newly forming stars. ALMA discovered 11 of these telltale signs of star formation remarkably close to the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.
Astronomers Detect Whirlpool Movement in Early Galaxies
Astronomers Detect Whirlpool Movement in Early Galaxies
Outflows from a Young Solar System
Astronomers have found the youngest still-forming solar system yet seen, an infant star surrounded by a swirling disk of dust and gas more than 450 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus. In this artist\'s conception of infant solar system, the young star pulls material from...
Earliest Phase of Star Formation Ever Observed in Highly Hostile Environment
An ALMA image of the center of the Milky Way galaxy showing the location of 11 young protostars within about 3 light-years of our galaxy's supermassive black hole. The lines indicate the direction of the bipolar lobes created by high-velocity jets from the protostars. The illustrated star in the...
Multiwavelength Image of SPT0311-58
Galaxy Growth in a Massive Halo in the First Billion Years of Cosmic History
GBT Finds Benzonitrile in the Taurus Molecular Cloud 1
Astronomers using the Green Bank Telescope have made the first definitive interstellar detection of benzonitrile, an intriguing organic molecule that helps to chemically link simple carbon-based molecules and truly massive ones known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This discovery is a vital...
Tidal Disruption Event in Arp 299
Artist\'s conception of Tidal Disruption Event (TDE) in Arp 299. Powerful gravity of supermassive black hole shreds passing star, pulling material into disk rotating around the black hole, and launching jet of particles outward. Artist\'s conception in pullout -- background is Hubble Space...
Stellar Embryos in Nearby Dwarf Galaxy Contain Surprisingly Complex Organic Molecules
Stellar Embryos in Nearby Dwarf Galaxy Contain Surprisingly Complex Organic Molecules
Powerful Flare from Star Proxima Centauri Detected with ALMA
Artist impression of a red dwarf star like Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to our sun. New analysis of ALMA observations reveal that Proxima Centauri emitted a powerful flare that would have created inhospitable conditions for planets in that system.
Innovation Advances 'Phased Array Feed' Imaging System
Innovation Advances 'Phased Array Feed' Imaging System
New Technology Offers to Broaden Vision for Radio Astronomy
New Technology Offers to Broaden Vision for Radio Astronomy
Zoom In to Young Galaxy Cluster
Zooming in to the galaxies discovered by ALMA that are evolving into a galaxy cluster. The outer field is from data taken by the Hershel Space Observatory. The middle image -- a portion of a much-wider survey by NSF\'s South Pole Telescope -- uncovered the distant galactic source that was studied...
A Young Galaxy
Artist impression of very young galaxy in the early universe.
ALMA Finds Most-Distant Oxygen in the Universe
ALMA Finds Most-Distant Oxygen in the Universe This image shows the galaxy cluster MACS J1149.5+2223 taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the inset image is the galaxy MACS1149-JD1 located 13.28 billion light-years away observed with ALMA. Here, the oxygen distribution detected...
Trio of Infant Planets Discovered around Newborn Star
Two independent teams of astronomers have uncovered convincing evidence that three young planets are in orbit around an infant star known as HD 163296. Using a new planet-finding strategy, the astronomers identified three discrete disturbances in a young stars gas-filled disk: the strongest...
AGNs Seen at Different Angles
One type of active galactic nuclei (AGN) -- a supermassive black hole that is gobbling up gas and dust -- is called a quasar. Quasars got their name because, when first discovered, they were called "quasi-stellar objects" meaning "star-like." They are very powerful sources of radiation,...
Artist Impession of CK Vul
Artist impression of the collision of two stars, like the ones that formed CK Vul. The inset illustrates the inner structure of one red giant before the merger. A thin layer of 26-aluminum (brown) surrounds a helium core. An extended convective envelope (not to scale), which forms the outermost...
Distant Quasar Providing Clues to Early-Universe Conditions
VLBA image of the quasar P35215, at a distance of nearly 13 billion light-years from Earth. Three main components of the object are seen, with two of them showing further substructure.
First detection of Aluminium Nuclear Isotope in Space.
Composite image of CK Vul, the remains of a double-star collision. This impact launched radioactive molecules into space, as seen in the orange double-lobe structure at the center. This is an ALMA image of 27-aluminum monofluoride, but the rare isotopic version of AlF resides in the same region....
Pair of Colliding Stars Spill Radioactive Molecules into Space
A widefield, composite image of CK Vul, the remains of a double-star collision. This impact launched radioactive molecules into space, as seen in the orange double-lobe structure at the center. This is an ALMA image of 27-aluminum monofluoride, but the rare, radioactive isotopic version of AlF...
The Boundary Between Giant Planet and Brown Dwarf
Artist\'s conception of SIMP J01365663+0933473, an object with 12.7 times the mass of Jupiter, but a magnetic field 200 times more powerful than Jupiter\'s. This object is 20 light-years from Earth.
ALMAs Highest-Frequency Capabilities
ALMA’s Highest-Frequency Capabilities Illustration highlighting ALMA\'s high-frequency observing capabilities.
The St. Croix Antenna
The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) station on St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, in a photo made prior to Hurricane Maria. Funding from the National Science Foundation will be used to repair damage caused by that storm in 2017.
ALMA's Band 10 Receiver
Pictured here is one of the cold cartridge assemblies of the Band 10 receiver, which gives ALMA its highest-frequency capabilities.
Heavy Water in NGC 6334I
Composite ALMA image of NGC 6334I, a star-forming region in the Cat\'s Paw Nebula, taken with the Band 10 receivers, ALMA\'s highest-frequency vision. The blue component is heavy water (HDO) streaming away from either a single protostar or a small cluster of protostars. The orange region is the...
Outflows in Star-Forming Galaxies
Artist impression of an outflow of molecular gas from an active star-forming galaxy.
Spectral Lines in the Cat's Paw Nebula
The upper blue portion of this graph shows the spectral lines ALMA detected in a star-forming region of the Cat\'s Paw Nebula. The lower black portion shows the lines detected by the European Space Agency\'s Herschel Space Observatory. The ALMA observations detected more than ten times as many...
Jets that Appear Faster than Light
Aftermath of the merger of two neutron stars. Ejecta from an initial explosion formed a shell around the black hole formed from the merger. A jet of material propelled from a disk surrounding the black hole first interacted with the ejecta material to form a broad \"cocoon.\" Later, the jet broke...
Europa, The Water Moon of Jupiter
Downloadable poster of an ALMA observation of Europa. This intriguing image of Jupiter's moon, Europa, was acquired with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a state-of-the-art, radio-wavelength telescope array operated by an international partnership in the high elevation...
ALMA Observes Most Distant Galactic Outflow
VLBA Sees Diffraction Patterns Caused by Asteroid
Radio waves from a distant galaxy were blocked from view by an asteroid in our Solar System. However, in a process called diffraction, waves bent around the asteroid and interacted to form a pattern of bright and dark circles. Astronomers analyzed this pattern to learn new details about the...
ALMA Observation of Europa
ALMA image of Jupiter\'s moon Europa. ALMA was able to map out thermal variations on its surface. Hubble image of Jupiter in the background.
Orphan GRB Discovered with VLASS
Series of radio images of FIRST J1419+3940 from 1993 to 2017 show its slow fade. Astronomers comparing data from an ongoing major survey of the sky using the National Science Foundations Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to data from earlier surveys likely have made the first discovery of the...
ALMA's View of Comet 46P/Wirtanen
Side-by-side comparison shows an ALMA image of comet 46P/Wirtanen (left) and an optical image (right). The ALMA image has approximately 1000 times the resolution of the optical image and zooms in on the inner portion of the comet\'s diffuse coma.
A Molecular Fountain In Abell 2597
Composite image of the Abell 2597 galaxy cluster showing the fountain-like flow of gas powered by the supermassive black hole in the central galaxy. The yellow is ALMA data of the cold gas. The red is data from the Very Large Telescope showing the hot hydrogen gas in the same region. The extend...
The Most Luminous Known Galaxy
Artist impression of W2246-0526, the most luminous known galaxy, and three companion galaxies. New observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) reveal distinct streamers of material being pulled from the three smaller galaxies and flowing into the more massive galaxy,...
ALMA Sees Trans-galactic Streamers Feeding Distant Galaxy
ALMA image reveals how W2246-0526 is being fed by three companion galaxies through trans-galactic streamers of gas. The main galaxy and one of its companions are in the center. To the lower left is another companion and its large tidal tail that connects it to the main galaxy. The upper left...
NGC 628, PHANGS-ALMA and HST Composite
Composite ALMA (orange) and Hubble (blue) image of NGC 628, also known as Messier 74, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces, located approximately 32 million light-years from Earth. It is imaged as part of the PHANGS-ALMA survey to study the properties of star-forming clouds in disk...
Curious Binary System Seen by ALMA
Astronomers using ALMA have found two young stars with wildly different masses forming in the same protoplanetary disk. The main central star, MM1a, is 80 times more massive than its companion, MM1b. Their striking difference in size suggests that they formed by following two very different...
PHANGS-ALMA Radio Image of NGC 4321
ALMA image of galaxy NGC 4321, also known as Messier 100, an intermediate spiral galaxy located about 55 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is imaged as part of the PHANGS-ALMA survey to study the properties of star-forming clouds in disk galaxies.
PHANGS-ALMA Survey Sample Galaxies
Six ALMA-imaged galaxies out of a collection of the 74. The images were taken as part of the PHANGS-ALMA survey to study the properties of star-forming clouds in disk galaxies.
ALMA and VLA Images of AT2018cow
ALMA and VLA images of the mysterious new type of cosmic blast, AT2018cow at left. Visible-light image of outburst in its host galaxy at right. Images not to same scale. Images of the blast itself do not indicate its size, but are the result of its brightness and the characteristics of the...
Eta Carinae
The NuSTAR detection shows that shock waves in the wind collision zone accelerate charged particles like electrons and protons to near the speed of light. Some of these may reach Earth, where they will be detected as cosmic ray particles. X-rays scattered by debris ejected in Eta Carinae's famous...
Galaxy IC 3639 with Obscured Active Galactic Nucleus
IC 3639, a galaxy with an active galactic nucleus, is seen in this image combining data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory.
Supernova SN 2014C (X-ray) (Annotated)
This image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows spiral galaxy NGC 7331, center, in a three-color X-ray image.
The Rapid Burster
These four images show an artist's impression of gas accreting onto the neutron star in the binary system MXB 1730-335, also known as the "Rapid Burster."
Scientists measure the spin rates of supermassive black holes by spreading the X-ray light into different colors. The light comes from accretion disks that swirl around black holes, as shown in both of the artist's concepts.
Sculptor Galaxy Shines with X-rays
The Sculptor galaxy is seen in a new light, in this composite image from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). Visible data from the European Space Observatory show the backbone of the galaxy made up of stars, while NuSTAR data, which appear as colored blobs, show high-energy...
Topsy Turvy Black Holes
The magenta spots in this image show two black holes in the spiral galaxy called NGC 1313, or the Topsy Turvy galaxy. Both black holes belong to a class called ultraluminous X-ray sources, or ULXs. The magenta X-ray data come from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescopic Array (NuSTAR).
Black Holes of the Circinus Galaxy
The magenta spots in this image show two black holes in the Circinus galaxy: the supermassive black hole at its heart, and a smaller one closer to the edge that belongs to a class called ultraluminous X-ray sources, or ULXs. The magenta X-ray data come from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescopic...
High-Energy X-ray View of 'Hand of God'
Can you see the shape of a hand in this new X-ray image? The hand might look like an X-ray from the doctor's office, but it is actually a cloud of material ejected from a star that exploded.
Different Flavors of Black Holes
A range of supermassive black holes lights up this new image from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR. All of the dots are active black holes tucked inside the hearts of galaxies, with colors representing different energies of X-ray light.
Untangling the Remains of Cassiopeia A
This is the first map of radioactivity in a supernova remnant, the blown-out bits and pieces of a massive star that exploded. The blue color shows radioactive material mapped in high-energy X-rays using NuSTAR. Heated, non-radioactive elements previously imaged by Chandra using low-energy X-rays...
NuSTAR Finds a Pulse in Cigar Galaxy
High-energy X-rays streaming from a rare and mighty pulsar, the brightest found to date, can be seen in this new image combining multi-wavelength data from three telescopes.
Adding a New "Color" to Palate of Cassiopeia A Images
NuSTAR is complementing previous observations of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant (red and green) by providing the first maps of radioactive material forged in the fiery explosion (blue).
Radioactive Core of a Dead Star
NuSTAR has, for the first time, imaged the radioactive "guts" of a supernova remnant, the leftover remains of a star that exploded. The NuSTAR data are blue, and show high-energy X-rays. Yellow shows non-radioactive material detected previously by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in low-energy...
NuSTAR Finds a Pulse in Cigar Galaxy
High-energy X-rays streaming from a rare and mighty pulsar, the brightest found to date, can be seen in this new image combining multi-wavelength data from three telescopes.
This chart illustrates the relative masses of super-dense cosmic objects, ranging from white dwarfs to the supermassive black holes encased in the cores of most galaxies.
Ultraluminous X-ray Sources in M82 Galaxy
This image shows the core of galaxy Messier 82 (M82), where two ultraluminous X-ray sources, or ULXs, reside (X-1 and X-2). ULXs are regions that shine intensely with X-rays.
Sun Shines in High-Energy X-rays
X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Tale of Two Black Holes
The real monster black hole is revealed in this new image from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array of colliding galaxies Arp 299.
Sun Shines in High-Energy X-rays (full view)
X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Tale of Two Black Holes [Xray + Visible]
The new high-energy X-ray data reveal that the supermassive black hole in the galaxy on the right is indeed the hungry one, releasing energetic X-rays as it consumes gas.
Tale of Two Black Holes [X-ray]
The new high-energy X-ray data reveal that the supermassive black hole in the galaxy on the right is indeed the hungry one, releasing energetic X-rays as it consumes gas.
Supermassive black holes at the cores of galaxies blast radiation and ultra-fast winds outward, as illustrated in this artist's conception.
Extra X-rays at the Hub of our Milky Way Galaxy
NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has captured a new high-energy X-ray view (magenta) of the bustling center of our Milky Way galaxy. The smaller circle shows the area where the NuSTAR image was taken -- the very center of our galaxy, where a giant black hole resides.
This plot of data from two space telescopes, NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton determines for the first time the shape of ultra-fast winds from supermassive black holes, or quasars.
A color image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of one of the nine galaxies targeted by NuSTAR in search of hidden black holes. An artist's illustration of a supermassive black hole, actively feasting on its surroundings. The central black hole is hidden from direct view by a thick layer of...
High-Energy X-rays Fill Center of our Galaxy
This picture from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, NuSTAR, shows very center of our Milky Way galaxy. Scientists were surprised to find more high-energy X-rays than predicted in the surrounding regions, seen here as the elliptical haze.
Tracing Titanium's Escape
The plot of data from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR (right), amounts to a "smoking gun" of evidence in the mystery of how massive stars explode. The observations indicate that supernovae belonging to a class called Type II or core-collapse blast apart in a lopsided...
NuSTAR Stares at the Sun
Flaring, active regions of our sun are highlighted in this new image combining observations from several telescopes. High-energy X-rays from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) are shown in blue; low-energy X-rays from Japan's Hinode spacecraft are green; and extreme ultraviolet...
Shifting Coronas Around Black Holes
A supermassive black hole is depicted in this artist's concept, surrounded by a swirling disk of material falling into it. The purplish ball of light above the black hole, a feature called the corona, contains highly energetic particles that generate X-ray light. If you could really view the...
Hidden Lair at the Heart of Galaxy NGC 1068
Galaxy NGC 1068 can be seen in close-up in this view from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. NuSTAR's high-energy X-rays eyes were able to obtain the best view yet into the hidden lair of the galaxy's central, supermassive black hole.
Andromeda in High-Energy X-rays
NASA's Nuclear Spectroscope Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has imaged a swath of the Andromeda galaxy -- the nearest large galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy.
This artist's impression depicts the accretion disc surrounding a black hole, in which the inner region of the disc precesses. "Precession" means that the orbit of material surrounding the black hole changes orientation around the central object.
The blue dots in this field of galaxies, known as the COSMOS field, show galaxies that contain supermassive black holes emitting high-energy X-rays. The black holes were detected by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Array, or NuSTAR, which spotted 32 such black holes in this field and has observed...
Galaxy NGC 1448 with Active Galactic Nucleus
NGC 1448, a galaxy with an active galactic nucleus, is seen in this image combining data from the Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey in the optical range and NuSTAR in the X-ray range.
Supernova SN 2014C (X-ray)
This image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows spiral galaxy NGC 7331, center, in a three-color X-ray image.
Supernova SN 2014C
This visible-light image from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey shows spiral galaxy NGC 7331, center, where astronomers observed the unusual supernova SN 2014C .
Pulsar Candidate in Andromeda
NuSTAR, has identified a candidate pulsar in Andromeda -- the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way. This likely pulsar is brighter at high energies than the Andromeda galaxy's entire black hole population.
This illustration compares growing supermassive black holes in two different kinds of galaxies.
Herschel carries the largest space telescope ever launched to date.
Herschel Spacecraft
Artist concept of the Herschel Space Observatory front view.
Artist Concept of Herschel
This is an artist concept of the Herschel Space Observatory. Both Herschel and the Planck observatory are scheduled to lift off together aboard an Ariane ECA rocket.
Herschel Spacecraft Side View
Artist concept of the Herschel Space Observatory side view.
Herschels Daring Test: A Glimpse of Things to Come
Three-color far-infrared image of M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy.
SPIRE image of M74 at 250 m
On 24 June 2009, SPIRE recorded its first images during the in-orbit commissioning phase of the Herschel mission.
Awash with Infrared Light
Some of the coldest and darkest dust in space shines brightly in this infrared image from the Herschel Observatory, a European Space Agency mission with important participation from NASA. The image is a composite of light captured simultaneously by two of Herschel's three instruments -- the...
Dark Star-Making Factory
This image from the Herschel Observatory reveals some of the coldest and darkest material in our galaxy. The choppy clouds of gas and dust are just starting to condense into new stars.
Dark Wombs of Stars
This image from the Herschel Observatory reveals some of the coldest and darkest material in our galaxy. The choppy clouds of gas and dust pictured here are just starting to condense into new stars. The yellow filaments show the coldest dust dotted with the youngest embryonic stars.
SPIRE spectrum of VY Canis Majoris
This is one of the early spectra obtained with the SPIRE fourier transform spectrometer on Herschel. Shown here is a portion of the SPIRE spectrum of VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa), a red supergiant star near the end of its life, which is ejecting huge quantities of gas and dust into interstellar space.
SPIRE spectrum of Messier 82
This is one of the early spectra obtained with the SPIRE fourier transform spectrometer on Herschel. It depicts the spectrum of M82, the nearest starburst galaxy.
PACS spectrum of Messier 82
This is one of the early spectra obtained with the PACS integral field spectrometer on Herschel. Shown here are spectral images from a region (indicated by the pink box overlaid on the optical image) of the prototype nearby starburst galaxy, M82.
SPIRE spectrum of Arp 220
This is one of the early spectra obtained with the SPIRE fourier transform spectrometer on Herschel. Shown here is spectrum of Arp 220, a galaxy 250 million light years distant from Earth with very active star formation triggered by a merger between two large spiral galaxies (like the Milky Way...
PACS spectrum of the active galaxy Mrk 231
This is one of the early spectra obtained with the PACS integral field spectrometer on Herschel. Shown here is a spectral scan of one of the emission lines detected by PACS in the Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy (ULIRG) known as Markarian 231.
HIFI spectrum of DR21
This is one of the early spectra obtained with the HIFI instrument on Herschel. This HIFI spectrum of a massive star-forming region reveals the fingerprints of a number of key organic molecules, such as formaldehyde (H2CO), carbon sulphide (CS), the formyl ion (HCO+), the ethynyl radical (C2H),...
HIFI spectrum of Comet Garradd
This is one of the early spectra obtained with the HIFI instrument on Herschel. In this spectrum of Comet Garradd the strong water line is clearly evident.
Inside the Dark Heart of the Eagle
Some 700 newly-forming stars are estimated to be crowded into these colourful filaments of dust. The complex is part of a mysterious ring of stars called Goulds Belt.
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