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M101
Gemini North Back On Sky With Dazzling Image of Supernova in the Pinwheel Galaxy
Gemini North, part of the International Gemini Observatory operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, is back observing the night sky following the repair and refurbishment of its primary mirror. The telescope’s debut observation captured the supernova dubbed SN 2023ixf (lower left), which was discovered on 19...
IC 1727
A (Galactic) Arm’s Length Away
The two galaxies in this image — NGC 672 (top right) and IC 1727 (bottom left) — appear to be so close that they are almost elbowing each other, like playful children. In fact, the galaxies shown in this beautifully detailed image taken at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, a program of NSF’s...
NGC 1532
Cropped View of Galaxies in Lopsided Tug of War
The spiral galaxy NGC 1532, also known as Haley’s Coronet, is caught in a lopsided tug of war with its smaller neighbor, the dwarf galaxy NGC 1531. The image — taken by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Dark Energy Camera mounted on the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco...
NGC 289
Gentle Giant Galaxy
In the constellation Sculptor lies this large extended spiral galaxy called NGC 289. Despite being around 75 million light-years away, the light of NGC 289 is stunningly captured here by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American...
Large Magellanic Cloud
Deepest, widest view of the Large Magellanic Cloud from SMASH
Part of the SMASH dataset showing an unprecedented wide-angle view of the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are the largest satellite galaxies of the Milky Way and, unlike the rest of the satellite galaxies, are still actively forming stars — and at a rapid pace. The...
NGC 772
Galaxy NGC 772
The overdeveloped spiral arm of the galaxy NGC 772, which was created by tidal interactions with an unruly neighbor, dominates this observation made by astronomers using the Gemini North telescope located near the summit of Maunakea in Hawai‘i.
Centaurus A
Centaurus A captured by the Dark Energy Camera
The galaxy Centaurus A, which lies over 12 million light-years away in the direction of the southern-hemisphere constellation Centaurus (The Centaur), is the leading light of this striking image. This image provides a spectacular view of the luminous glow of stars and dark tendrils of dust that...
M83
Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, Messier 83
Nicknamed the Southern Pinwheel, Messier 83 (or NGC 5236) is a stunning face-on spiral galaxy located about 15 million light-years away in the southern constellation of Hydra. Its spiral arms are lined with dark lanes of dust and peppered with reddish, star-forming clouds of hydrogen gas. One...
NGC 925
Cosmic Fireworks
The spiral galaxy NGC 925 reveals cosmic pyrotechnics in its spiral arms where bursts of star formation are taking place in the red, glowing clouds scattered throughout it.
Sh2-68
Planetary Nebula Sh2-68
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Sh2-68 is an ancient planetary nebula that is estimated to be at least 45,000 years old. The diffuse orange emission to the upper right is the result of the...
Barnard’s Galaxy
NOIRLab releases best view yet of a neighboring dwarf galaxy
Barnard’s Galaxy, a dwarf galaxy neighboring the Milky Way, is revealed in this stunning image from the Víctor M. Blanco 4-m Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab. The image reveals regions of intense star formation and a scattering of immense...
NGC 1365
Portrait of the Great Barred Spiral
This image captures the elegant galaxy NGC 1365 in the Fornax Cluster of galaxies. Also known as The Great Barred Spiral Galaxy, NGC 1365 is a strikingly perfect example of a barred spiral galaxy. This image shows the galaxy’s prominent bar and its graceful spiral arms, with lanes of dust...
ESO 440-11
Dark Energy Camera's 1 millionth exposure
The Dark Energy Camera's 1 millionth exposure. At the time of this exposure DECam was making an of a galaxy cluster. The 1 millionth exposure has been combined with 127 earlier exposures to make this view of the field. This demonstrates the power of DECam and an archive of a million exposures....
NGC 1531
Galactic Waltz NGC 1532-31
The interacting galaxy pair NGC 1532 and NGC 1531 were imaged using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) at Gemini South in Chile on December 5, 2004. This view reveals spectacular details in the galactic pair embraced in a fiery waltz. The larger galaxy (NGC 1532) is a spiral, and from...
NGC 922
The Tidal Tales of NGC 922
In the southern constellation of Fornax lies NGC 922, a peculiar galaxy with a structure that has puzzled astronomers for years. Previously, researchers thought its distinctive features — the stellar plume and off-center galactic bar — resulted from a collision with a nearby dwarf galaxy some...
M33
Destined to Collide
The Triangulum Galaxy, otherwise known as Messier 33, lies almost 3 million light-years from Earth, and is a near neighbor of the Andromeda Galaxy. The galaxy is imaged here by the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope, located at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF’s...
NGC 4449
Starburst Galaxy NGC 4449
An explosive array of bright pinks and blues makes for a remarkable sight in this image captured with the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory. Resembling a cloud of cosmic confetti, this image is being released in celebration of Gemini North’s 25th...
NGC 5364
A Grand Design of Imperfections
With its swirling arms and luminous core, NGC 5364 is unmistakably a spiral galaxy, lying in the constellation Virgo. But it’s not just any spiral galaxy imaged by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a...
NGC 4410
A Menagerie of Intertwined Galaxies
Collectively known as RSCG 55, this captivating spectacle of gravitationally intertwined galaxies lies in the constellation Virgo. This image was taken by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) which was built by the Department of Energy and mounted on the prime focus of Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter...
NGC 2685
NGC 2685: A Helix in the Sky
The very unusual galaxy NGC 2685, also known as the Helix Galaxy, is located about 40 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. This image was captured by the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF NOIRLab which is funded by the...
NGC 1058
Hidden Among Supernovae
Approximately as bright in the night sky as Proxima Centauri, this quiescent spiral galaxy known as NGC 1058 betrays its unassuming appearance with a record of supernovae and starburst activity. Captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) at Gemini North, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab,...
NGC 454
Galactic Face-off
Far, far away in the constellation Phoenix, two interacting galaxies meet in an epic battle spanning a hundred thousand light-years, captured here with the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. Collectively known as NGC...
NGC 1808
The Many Layers of NGC 1808
NGC 1808 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the southern constellation Columba (the dove). This image was captured using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), which is mounted on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, in...
NGC 2403
A Galaxy of Birth and Death
Captured by the Mosaic camera on the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, the spiral galaxy NGC 2403, also known as Caldwell 7, highlights the dynamic birth and death of stars. The glowing red spots dotting the galaxy are...
RCW 120
A Crimson Nursery
RCW 120, also known as Sharpless 2-3, is an emission nebula and star-forming region located in the constellation Scorpius, about 4300 light-years away from Earth. The glowing nebula was captured here by the SMARTS 0.9-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program...
Andromeda Galaxy
The ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Pegasus V
A unique ultra-faint dwarf galaxy has been discovered in the outer fringes of the Andromeda Galaxy thanks to the sharp eyes of an amateur astronomer examining archival data from the US Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo...
NGC 1672
A Galactic Vortex
The arms of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1672 sweep across this Image of the Week, captured by the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. NGC 1672 is something of a celestial mystery, as it is difficult to define its...
M31
Panorama of Spiral Galaxy, M31
This image was created with data from the Local Group Survey, completed with the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. M31, M33 and our Milky Way are the three largest members of the Local Group of galaxies. M31 is a spiral galaxy very similar in size...
Abell 3827
Striking image shows mass distribution of nearby galaxy cluster
Using the Dark Energy Camera at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, astronomers are measuring weak gravitational lensing to map the distribution of mass in nearby galaxy clusters. As well as producing remarkable images like this one, the information will shed...
M106
Spiral Galaxy Messier 106
This image of the spiral galaxy Messier 106, or NGC 4258, was taken with the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. A popular target for amateur astronomers, Messier 106 can also be spotted with a small telescope in the constellation...
NGC 3198
A Lonely Spiral in a Tapestry of Galaxies
This stunning image features NGC 3198, a galaxy that lies about 47 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. This image was taken with the Mosaic instrument on the 4-meter Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, and shows the...
NGC 2541
Glistening Spiral Galaxy
The spiral galaxy NGC 2541 is shown in extravagant detail in this astronomical snapshot from the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. Astronomers recognize a variety of galaxy types, and NGC 2541 is classified as an unbarred spiral...
IC 10
Portrait of a Starburst Galaxy
KPNO captures irregular starburst galaxy IC 10 in glorious detail This striking image from NOIRLab’s Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) presents a portrait of the irregular galaxy IC 10, a disorderly starburst galaxy close to the Milky Way. As well as a population of bright young stars, this...
Fireworks Galaxy
A Mysterious Rash of Star Birth
"A Mysterious Rash of Star Birth In this crisp Gemini North image, pink bubbles of glowing hydrogen gas spread across the arms of the face-on spiral galaxy NGC 6946 like a rash. This amazing infusion of color is fueled by the ubiquitous birth of massive stars throughout NGC 6946; these hot...
NGC 1512
Wider crop of the NGC 1512 image
The interacting galaxy pair NGC 1512 and NGC 1510 take center stage in this image from the Dark Energy Camera, a state-of-the art wide-field imager on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. NGC 1512 has been in the process...
NGC 474
Wider view of elliptical galaxy NGC 474 from the Dark Energy Survey
NGC 474 is at a distance of about 100 million light-years in the constellation of Pisces. This image shows unusual structures around NGC 474 characterized as tidal tails and shell-like structures made up of hundreds of millions of stars. This image is an excerpt from the Dark Energy Survey,...
LCRS B041803.7-391607
A Sky Full of Galaxies
The blackness of space is punctuated by bright dots. This image could almost be mistaken for a particularly detailed shot of the night sky as seen from Earth, full of stars. Appearances, however, can be deceptive. This image was taken from Earthʻs southern hemisphere, but the bright dots are...
Milky Way
Center of the Milky Way with DECam
This image of a region near the center of the Milky Way galaxy covers 0.5 by 0.25 degrees on the sky (an area about twice as wide as the full Moon) and contains over 180,000 stars. The image captures a portion of our galaxy about 220 by 110 light-years across. It was taken with the Dark Energy...
IC 1613
The irregular dwarf galaxy IC 1613 — excerpt from the Dark Energy Survey
The irregular dwarf galaxy IC 1613 contains some 100 million stars and is a member of our Local Group of galaxies, which also includes our Milky Way, the Andromeda spiral galaxy, and the Magellanic Clouds. It is at a distance of 2.4 million light-years and contains several examples of Cepheid...
NGC 3628
Edge-on Spiral Galaxy NGC 3628
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 3628 is a large, edge-on spiral galaxy. It is one of three galaxies in the "Leo Triplet". NGC 3628 has a warped disk and a long tidal tail (the faint blue...
NGC 1003
NGC 1003
A stunning long-exposure observation lasting 70 minutes from the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, reveals the spiral galaxy NGC 1003 in glorious detail. NGC 1003 resides in front of a galaxy cluster — a vast collection of...
Andromeda Galaxy
Star forming region, NGC 206
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the WIYN 0.9m-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NGC 206 is a massive star-forming region (also known as an “OB association”) embedded in the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). It is clearly visible in the center to...
M106
Wide View of Spiral Galaxy Messier 106
This image of the spiral galaxy Messier 106, or NGC 4258, was taken with the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. A popular target for amateur astronomers, Messier 106 can also be spotted with a small telescope in the constellation...
NGC 1313
A Stellar Incubator
Starburst galaxy NGC 1313 is a stellar incubator delivering stars on a scale rarely seen in a single galaxy of its size. As imaged by the Gemini South 8-meter telescope in Chile, a multitude of colorful gas clouds blaze forth from the galaxy’s spiral arms — a tell-tale sign that this...
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...
HDW 3
Planetary Nebula HDW 3
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Hartl-Dengel-Weinberger 3 (HDW 3) is a large, ancient planetary nebula. Its distinctive braided shape is the result of the planetary nebula colliding with the...
NGC 7320
NGC 7320 Stephan’s Quintet
Stephan’s Quintet as imaged by the Gemini Observatory using the Multi-Object Spectrograph on Gemini North. The interacting members of the cluster are almost 300 million light years away. The galaxy NGC7320 (top-center) is thought by most astronomers to be in the foreground (about 8-times...
NGC 3359
NGC 3359 – Meet Me at the Bar
This image of NGC 3359 was obtained with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawai‘i. The circular pinwheel shape with the easily recognized spiral arm structure makes it straightforward to classify this object as a spiral galaxy, however,...
NGC 4567
The merging galaxy pair NGC 4568 and NGC 4567
This image from the Gemini North telescope in Hawai‘i reveals a pair of interacting spiral galaxies — NGC 4568 (bottom) and NGC 4567 (top) — as they begin to clash and merge. The galaxies will eventually form a single elliptical galaxy in around 500 million years.
NGC 7020
A Hexagonal Galactic Center
NGC 7020, a barred lenticular galaxy in the southern constellation Pavo, holds a geometric mystery. Clear but subtle in this image from Gemini South, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, the core of NGC 7020 is visibly hexagonal in shape. A hexagon is...
WLM
Wolf–Lundmark–Melotte (WLM) Irregular Galaxy
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic II camera on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory. Wolf–Lundmark–Melotte (WLM) is an irregular galaxy located on the outer edges of the Local Group. WLM is about ten times smaller than our own...
NGC 3628
NGC 3628 and an example of an ultra-compact dwarf galaxy (no annotations)
NGC 3628, sometimes nicknamed the Hamburger Galaxy or Sarah's Galaxy, is an unbarred spiral galaxy about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. Extending to the left of NGC 3628 for around 300,000 light-years is a ‘tidal tail’ — an elongated region of stars that arises as a...
NGC 660
NGC 660
"This Gemini North telescope image captures the “bloody” aftermath of one galaxy piercing the heart of another. All the action appears in a single frame, with the stunning polar-ring galaxy NGC 660 as the focus of attention. NGC 660 spans some 40,000 light years across and lies about 40 million...
M17
Swan Nebula (M17)
This FLAMINGOS-2 near-infrared image details part of the magnificent Swan Nebula (M17), where ultraviolet radiation streaming from young hot stars sculpts a dense region of dust and gas into myriad fanciful forms. M17 lies some 5,200 light-years distant in the constellation Sagittarius and is...
k61
k61 Planetary Nebula
Gemini Observatory image of Kronberger 61 showing the ionized shell of expelled gas resembling a soccer ball. The light of the nebula is primarily due to ionized oxygen (oxygen-III) emission and its central star can be seen as the slightly bluer star very close to the center of the nebula. The...
NGC 6559
Chinese Dragon NGC 6559
Gemini South image of dragon-like dark nebula NGC 6559 NGC 6559 is a relatively small, nearby dust cloud in our Milky Way galaxy that measures about seven light-years across. NGC 6559 is part of a larger star-forming region in the southern constellation Sagittarius. The dark structure that...
NGC 1515
A Collection of Spirals
At the center of this image is NGC 1515, an intermediate barred spiral galaxy that is part of the Dorado Group. Large-scale observations of the Universe have found that galaxies “clump” together. These clumps are held together by a loose gravitational pull and designated a group or cluster,...
Sextans A
The Cosmic Jewels of Sextans A
This glittering image captured by the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, shows the irregular dwarf galaxy Sextans A, which lies around 4.4 million light-years from Earth. This galaxy, which is only a fraction of the size of the...
Fireworks Galaxy
NGC 6946 “Fireworks Galaxy”
NGC6946, the “Fireworks Galaxy,” lies between 10 and 20 million light-years away on the border between the constellations of Cepheus and Cygnus, and was discovered by Sir William Herschel (1738-1822) on September 9, 1798. It continues to fascinate astronomers, who estimate that it contains...
GGD 27
Reflection Nebula GGD 27
Reflection nebula GGD 27 revealing the chaotic and messy environment of a stellar nursery. This near-infrared image was obtained using FLAMINGOS-2, the infrared imager and spectrograph on the Gemini South telescope in Chile. Image Credit: Gemini Observatory/AURA. An image release by the Gemini...
M31
M31 (Andromeda Galaxy)
M31 is the closest spiral galaxy to our own Milky Way. Located 2.3 million light years away one can easily find this in the Andromeda constellation with their naked eye on clear moonless nights. Historically speaking this galaxy is first mentioned by the Persian astronomer Al Sufi in the year...
M101
M101; Pinwheel Galaxy
None 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 Pinwheel Galaxy, M101 is a spiral galaxy that is seen face on. It is a galaxy similar to our own galaxy, the Milky Way. It is...
Hockey Stick Galaxy
Hockey Stick Galaxy NGC 4656
None 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 4656, also known informally as the "hockey stick galaxy," is a distorted edge-on spiral galaxy. Its distinctive shape is due to a recent gravitational...
NGC 1531
Interacting galaxy Pair NGC 1532 and NGC 1531
The interacting galaxy pair NGC1532 and NGC1531 were imaged using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) at Gemini South in Chile on December 5, 2004. This view reveals spectacular details in the galactic pair embraced in a fiery waltz. The larger galaxy (NGC1532) is a spiral, and from our...
M51
M51 (Whirlpool)
A spiral galaxy very similar to our own Milky Way, seen face-on. There are a couple of hundred billion stars here. The dark splotches are dust clouds, and the tiny pink spots are star forming regions, where new stars (and probably solar systems) are born.The bright object to the right is...
IC 4970
Dancing Galaxies NGC 6872 & IC 4970
Image of NGC 6872 (left) and companion galaxy IC 4970 (right) locked in a tango as the two galaxies gravitationally interact. The galaxies lie about 200 million light-years away in the direction of the constellation Pavo (the Peacock). Minimum Credit: Gemini Observatory/AURA/Australian Gemini...
Small Magellanic Cloud
Glowing Hydrogen Bauble in the Small Magellanic Cloud
Orbiting around the Milky Way about 210,000 light-years away is the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). This satellite galaxy is a dwarf galaxy, about a twentieth the size of our own galaxy. Sitting among its hundred million stars is a 'bauble' of hydrogen gas, captured here with the 4.1-meter...
NGC 4495
A Storm of Light
The constellation Coma Berenices hosts the galaxy NGC 4495 among myriad other astronomical objects. This galaxy has a tumultuous history: several supernovae have been recorded over the years, including the three named 1994S, 2010lo, and 2011ca. This last burst of energy from a dying star can be...
IC 2233
Portrait of a Needle Galaxy
The remarkably thin galaxy IC 2233 is featured in this image from the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. IC 2233’s needle-thin profile is due to both its structure and its orientation towards Earth. The galaxy’s orientation —...
NGC 1703
A Dorado’s Scale
This Image of the Week features a sky speckled with stars and galaxies. The most prominent galaxy, in the upper right quadrant of the image, is known as NGC 1703. It was observed using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), a high-performance camera installed by the US Department of Energy at the...
NGC 1398
A Galaxy Adrift
This image captures the spiral galaxy NGC 1398, which lies roughly 65 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Fornax. NGC 1398 is a barred spiral galaxy, and both its bright central bar and delicate spiral arms are clearly visible in this image, with the galaxy itself seemingly...
NGC 1275
NGC 1275
This image shows a deep Hydrogen-alpha image of the brightest X-ray source in the sky, NGC1275, taken by the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, AZ, in 1999. The filaments emanating from this galaxy are produced through largely unknown mechanisms, but they...
NGC 5291
NGC 5291
This observation from the SMARTS 0.9-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory shows the result of a truly spectacular galactic collision. The elliptical galaxy NGC 5291 — the hazy oval cloud at the center of this image — was struck by a careening rogue galaxy over 300 million...
M101
Supernova SN2011fe in M101
This close-up image of the nearby galaxy M101 was obtained with the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. M101 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major and is quite similar to our own Galaxy. It is about 20 million light years (6.4 Mpc) away. The supernova is...
N44
Superbubble Complex N44
Known as the N44 superbubble complex, this cloudy tempest is dominated by a vast bubble about 325 by 250 light-years across. A cluster of massive stars inside the cavern has cleared away gas to form a distinctive mouth-shaped hollow shell. While astronomers do not agree on exactly how this...
NGC 7232
NGC 7232/3
This image shows an interacting trio of galaxies known as the Lyon Group of Galaxies #455 (LGG 455). It is made up of the galaxies NGC 7232 (upper right), NGC 7233 (lower right), and NGC 7232B (left). The two brightest objects near the center of the image are foreground stars in our Milky Way....
NGC 1313
Barred Spiral Galaxy, NGC 1313
This image of nearby spiral galaxy NGC1313 was taken with the National Science Foundation’s Blanco 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. NGC1313 is a late-type barred spiral galaxy. In visible light, NGC1313 appears dominated by scattered regions of star...
Donatiello II
Recently Discovered Dwarf Galaxy Donatiello II
The smudge in the center of this image from the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), built by the US Department of Energy, is the elusive dwarf galaxy Donatiello II. It is one of six dwarf galaxies discovered by Italian amateur astronomer Giuseppe Donatiello. Three of them — Donatiello II, III and...
Dusty Nebula
Dusty Nebula, LBN 438
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. LBN 438 is a dusty nebula within our galaxy. Despite being part of the Lynds Bright Nebula catalog it is very faint. This is the largest fragment of the...
Barnard 86
NGC 6520 with Barnard 86
An image of the open star cluster NGC 6520 and nearby dust cloud Barnard 86, in the constellation Sagittarius, one of the densest parts of our Galaxy. This image was taken on June 24th, 2007 at the NSF's Blanco 4-m telescope in CTIO, with B (blue), V (green) , I (orange) and H-alpha (red)...
Sextans B
Sextans B
Sextans B is an irregular dwarf galaxy, meaning that it is irregularly shaped and smaller than our galaxy, the Milky Way. It lies around 4.5 million light-years from Earth and is located in the constellation Sextans in the southern sky. Captured with the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope,...
NGC 891
Spiral galaxy NGC 891
NGC891, a large, nearby, edge-on spiral galaxy. Copyright WIYN Consortium, Inc.
NGC 1532
Wide-field View of NGC 1532
The spiral galaxy NGC 1532, also known as Haley’s Coronet, is caught in a lopsided tug of war with its smaller neighbor, the dwarf galaxy NGC 1531. The image — taken by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Dark Energy Camera mounted on the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco...
NGC 1512
Wider crop of the NGC 1512 image
The interacting galaxy pair NGC 1512 and NGC 1510 take center stage in this image from the Dark Energy Camera, a state-of-the art wide-field imager on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. NGC 1512 has been in the process...
NGC 6946
Spiral Galaxy NGC 6946
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic Camera on the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory on September 5th, 2008. The face-on spiral galaxy NGC 6946 is fueled by the births and deaths of brilliant, massive stars. Over the past century,...
M33
Panorama of Spiral Galaxy, M33
This image was created with data from the Local Group Survey, completed with the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. M31, M33 and our Milky Way are the three largest members of the Local Group of galaxies. M33 is a spiral galaxy that is about ten...
NGC 1398
Dark Energy Survey begins five-year mission to map southern sky in tremendous detail
This image of the NGC 1398 galaxy was taken with the Dark Energy Camera. This galaxy lives in the Fornax cluster, roughly 65 million light years from Earth. It is 135,000 light years in diameter, just slightly larger than our own Milky Way galaxy, and contains more than a hundred million stars.
Abell 3827
Abell 3827
Central region of Abell 3827 as imaged using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on the Gemini South telescope in Chile. The central supermassive galaxy (ESO 146-IG 005) is clearly visible among its cluster companions as well as the remains of at least four nuclei that are being “digested” by...
NGC 7793
A Very Wooly Galaxy
This observation from the international Gemini Observatory — a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab — showcases a flocculent spiral galaxy that lies nearly 12 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. The word flocculent means “fluffy” or “wooly,” and refers to these galaxies’ strangely tufty...
Cat’s Paw Nebula
NGC 6334, The Cat’s Paw Nebula
This image of emission nebula NGC6334 (the Cat’s Paw Nebula), a star-forming region in the constellation Scorpius, was taken in 2007 using the Mosaic-2 imager on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. The colors of the nebula are reddened by intervening dust in...
NGC 3718
Twisted Spiral Galaxy NGC 3718
None 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 3718 is the twisted spiral galaxy in the upper-right corner of the image. Its distinctive shape is likely the result of gravitational interactions...
NGC 1512
The interacting galaxy pair NGC 1512 and NGC 1510
The interacting galaxy pair NGC 1512 and NGC 1510 take center stage in this image from the Dark Energy Camera, a state-of-the art wide-field imager on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. NGC 1512 has been in the process...
M33
M33, NGC 598
This image of the Triangulum Galaxy was taken at the National Science Foundation's 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak with the NOAO Mosaic CCD camera. Also known as M33, the Triangulum Galaxy is part of the Local Group of galaxies, which includes the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and our galaxy, the...
NGC 7317
Stephan's Quintet (NGC 7317, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B, NGC 7319, NGC 7320)
Stephan's Quintet, as its name implies, is a group of five galaxies (NGC7317, 7318A, 7318B, 7319 and 7320) in the constellation Pegasus. This unusual system has often been used as proof that the redshift is not truly a distance indicator, which would completely overturn current cosmology,...
M33
M33 optical/radio
This image of the Triangulum Galaxy was created by combining optical data from the National Science Foundation's 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak in Arizona with radio data from the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) telescope in New Mexico and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio...
NGC 253
Sculptor Galaxy, NGC 253
NGC 253 also goes by the name of “Sculptor Galaxy” after its parent constellation, or by the name “Silver Dollar Galaxy”, presumably after its visual appearance in the eyepiece. NGC 253 is classified as a starburst galaxy, but interestingly, only 1 supernova has been found within it. It is a...
NGC 253
NGC 253
NGC 253 is a nearby galaxy at a distance of approximately 8 million light years away. The galaxy is some 60,000 light years in diameter- and its full disk extends beyond the field of view shown here. However, at this resolution (click on image) you can make out many features of this galaxy...
NGC 2442
Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 2442
GC2442 is a barred (SBbc) spiral galaxy in Volans with a visual magnitude of 10.4 at Right Ascension (2000.0): 07:36:19.0 and Declination (2000.0): -69:31:30. It is approximately 5x6 arcminute. In this image, North is toward the upper left, East is to the lower left The field is approx. 10 x 10...
Abell 3827
Excerpt of main image with lensing map
Galaxy clusters are massive conglomerations of hundreds or even thousands of galaxies, bound together by their mutual gravitational attraction.
HCG 87
Stephan's Quintet as imaged by the Gemini North
Stephan's Quintet as imaged by the Gemini Observatory using the Multi-Object Spectrograph on Gemini North. The interacting members of the cluster are almost 300 million light years away. The galaxy NGC 7320 (top–center) is thought by most astronomers to be in the foreground (about 8 times...
VV 166
Galaxy Group VV 166
"This compelling image from the Gemini North telescope peers into the heart of VV 166, a galaxy group 300 million light years distant. It presents, at a glance, a sampling of the wide diversity of systems that populate the deep reaches of the nearby Universe. One of its most fascinating...
NGC 7424
NGC 7424
The Galaxy NGC 7424 as imaged with the Gemini South Mulit-object Spectrograph.
Fornax Cluster
Galaxies in the Fornax Cluster
Members of the Fornax galaxy cluster fill this image from the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. Appearing in the constellation Fornax (the Furnace), the Fornax Cluster is a relatively nearby galaxy cluster, only...
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...
NGC 5253
NGC 5253, SINGG Survey
Gas-rich galaxies display a wide range of structures and properties, but one thing they all seem to have are some newly formed stars. Images from the Survey for Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies (SINGG), an NOAO Survey Program (obtained with the CTIO 1.5m telescope), are designed to highlight...
Veil Nebula
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...
PGC 6830
The Phoenix Local Group dwarf galaxy
None The Phoenix Local Group dwarf galaxy, as observed with the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope and Mosaic II 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...
WLM
The WLM Local Group dwarf galaxy
The WLM Local Group dwarf galaxy, as observed with the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope and Mosaic II 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...
Eagle Nebula
The Eagle Nebula, M16
None The Eagle Nebula, Messier object 16 (M16), NGC 6611, as seen by the Kitt Peak 4-meter Mayall telescope in 1973. This picture shows an interesting emission nebula and its associated galactic star cluster in the constellation of Serpens (the Serpent). The star cluster was discovered in 1746...
NGC 5363
Elliptical Galaxy NGC 5363 and Spiral Galaxy NGC 5364
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 5363 is the elliptical galaxy in the upper-left corner of the image. And NGC 5364 is the spiral galaxy in the lower right. These two galaxies are likely...
M33
Excitation in the middle of M33
This image of the central region of the Triangulum Galaxy, M33, was taken in October 2000 with the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, using the Mosaic imager. It shows data from three of the eight color filters being used by the Local Group Galaxies Survey Team to study...
NGC 1300
NGC 1300 in Eridanus
NGC1300, an almost face-on barred spiral galaxy of type SBbc in the constellation Eridanus, is about 46 million light-years away and about 85000 light-years across. This true-color picture was created from fifteen images taken in the BVR pass-bands at the Kitt Peak National Observatory's...
M81
M81, NGC 3031
M81, a type Sb spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major, as seen by the KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope in 1975.
Abell 98
Galaxy cluster Abell 98
Galaxy cluster Abell 98 in a colour composite derived from R and I images. Data taken at the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope on Kitt Peak by Mike Pierce, Indiana University.
Arp 286
Arp 286 (NGC 5560, 5566 & 5569)
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Arp 286 consists of three galaxies that are gravitationally interacting. The large spiral galaxy at the center is NGC 5566. Below and to its left is the...
IDCS J1426.5+3508
Heavyweight Champion of the Distant Universe
Weighing in at 500 trillion times the mass of the Sun, the young galaxy cluster IDCS 1426, located 10 billion light years from Earth, is the most massive distant cluster known. Recently weighed using data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope, it was first identified...
IC 342
IC 342
IC 342 is a nearby (14 million light years) spiral galaxy whose light is attenuated by the intervening gas and dust of our own Milky Way. It is for this reason that the galaxy is not as well known as others in the Messier catalogue. A deep exposure of this galaxy reveals it has graceful spiral...
NGC 1365
World’s most powerful digital camera opens eye, records first images in hunt for dark energy
Zoomed-in image from the Dark Energy Camera of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365, in the Fornax cluster of galaxies, which lies about 60 million light years from Earth.
NGC 3582
NGC 3582 in Sagittarius
NGC3582 is a minor nebula in the Sagittarius arm of the Milky Way galaxy. It is part of star-forming region RCW 57 in Carina. This image was taken in 2007 using the Mosaic-2 imager on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory.
NGC 891
NGC 891
This galaxy in Andromeda is perhaps the most beautiful example of a nearby spiral galaxy viewed edgewise. Note the small companion galaxies above and beneath the disk. This particular galaxy is of interest to astronomers that study the dynamics of material in the galactic plane of spiral...
