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IDCS J1426.5+3508
NASA's Great Observatories Weigh Massive Young Galaxy Cluster
A massive galaxy cluster located about 10 billion light years from Earth.
LMC N159
A neighbouring vista of stellar birth
Today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week highlights another view of a distant stellar birthplace. Captured in a parallel field to a recently released image, this scene reveals a neighbouring region of the N159 star-forming complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud, approximately 160 000 light-years...
Circumstellar disc IRAS 23077+6707
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the largest planet-forming disc ever observed around a young star. It spans nearly 640 billion kilometers, roughly 40 times the diameter of our Solar System. Tilted nearly edge-on as seen from Earth, the dark, dusty disk resembles a hamburger....
Arp 4
Long-distance relationship
These galaxies look to be close companions — a small, bright spiral galaxy flitting around the edge of a much larger spiral with a dark and disturbed countenance. But looks can be deceiving — how close are they really? The celestial pair featured in this week’s Hubble Picture of the Week is...
Milky Way
SPHEREx All Sky Map 2025: Stars and Galaxies
This SPHEREx image shows a selection of the infrared colors primarily emitted by stars and galaxies. SPHEREx is observing hundreds of millions of distant galaxies across the sky. Its multiwavelength view will also help astronomers measure the distance to those galaxies.
Milky Way
SPHEREx All Sky Map 2025
NASAs SPHEREx has mapped the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, which are invisible to the human eye but can be used to reveal different features of the cosmos. This image features a selection of colors emitted primarily by stars (blue, green, and white), hot hydrogen gas (blue), and cosmic dust...
Milky Way
SPHEREx All Sky Map 2025: Dust and Gas
This SPHEREx image features the infrared colors emitted primarily by dust (red) and hot gas (blue), key ingredients for forming new stars and planets. Though these clouds of material cover a massive portion of the sky, they are invisible in most wavelengths of light, including those the human eye...
Markarian 178
Massive stars make their mark
This glittering blue galaxy and subject of today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week is a blue compact dwarf galaxy called Markarian 178 (Mrk 178). This galaxy, which is substantially smaller than our own Milky Way, lies 13 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Bear)....
NGC 4388
Galactic gas makes a getaway
A sideways spiral galaxy shines in today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week. Located about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo (The Maiden), NGC 4388 is a resident of the Virgo galaxy cluster. The Virgo cluster contains more than a thousand galaxies and is the nearest large...
Large Magellanic Cloud
Cloudy with a Chance of Star Formation
This Image of the Week is of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a dwarf galaxy that appears cloud-like in the Southern Hemisphere. This image was captured by photographer Petr Horálek, a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador, using a wide-aperture telephoto lens on a commercial camera. Petr...
GRB 250702B
GRB 250702B host galaxy
The faint oval at the center of this image is the host galaxy of GRB 250702B — the longest gamma-ray burst that astronomers have ever observed. This image was taken on 20 July 2025 by the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, funded in part by the U.S....
Field around GRB 250702B
The stellar field around the host galaxy of GRB 250702B — the longest gamma-ray burst that astronomers have ever observed. It comprises observations from the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, funded in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and...
Most luminous fast blue optical transient
This composite image features X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared data of the luminous fast blue optical transient (LFBOT) named AT 2024wpp. The transient is the bright spot at the upper right edge of its host galaxy, which is 1.1 billion light-years from Earth.
NGC 4485
A dance of dwarf galaxies
For this new ESA/Webb Picture of the Month, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has spied a pair of dwarf galaxies engaged in a gravitational dance. These two galaxies are named NGC 4490 and NGC 4485, and they’re located about 24 million light-years away in the constellation Canes...
ALMA image of the ‘cosmic joust’
This image, taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), shows the molecular gas content of two galaxies involved in a cosmic collision. The one on the right hosts a quasar –– a supermassive black hole that is accreting material from its surroundings and releasing intense...
Sculptor Galaxy
MUSE view of ionised gas in the Sculptor Galaxy
This image shows the Sculptor Galaxy in a new light. This false-colour composition shows specific wavelengths of light released by hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen. These elements exist in gas form all over the galaxy, but the mechanisms causing this gas to glow can vary throughout the...
Sculptor Galaxy
MUSE view of the Sculptor Galaxy
This image shows a detailed, thousand-colour image of the Sculptor Galaxy captured with the MUSE instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Regions of pink light are spread throughout this whole galactic snapshot, which come from ionised hydrogen in star-forming regions. These areas have...
JADES-GS-z14-0
Oxygen spectrum in most distant known galaxy
The inset in this image shows JADES-GS-z14-0 –– the most distant known galaxy as of today –– as seen with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The two spectra shown here result from independent analysis of ALMA data by two teams of astronomers. Both found an emission line of...
NGC 3621
The supernova SN 2024ggi in the NGC 3621 galaxy
This image shows the location of the supernova SN 2024ggi in the NGC 3621 galaxy. It was taken on 11 April 2024, just 26 hours after the initial detection of the supernova. The image was obtained with the FORS2 instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Among other capabilities, FORS2...
NGC 3621
A galaxy full of surprises — the spiral galaxy NGC 3621
This image, from ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), shows a truly remarkable galaxy known as NGC 3621. To begin with, it is a pure-disc galaxy. Like other spirals, it has a flat disc permeated by dark lanes of material and with prominent spiral arms where young stars are forming in clusters (the...
NGC 4535
Finding star clusters in the Lost Galaxy
Today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week features the spiral galaxy NGC 4535, which is situated about 50 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo (The Maiden). This galaxy has been nicknamed the ‘Lost Galaxy’ because it’s extremely faint when viewed through a small telescope. With a...
LMC N159
Baby stars blowing bubbles
Today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week brings a distant stellar birthplace into focus. This gigantic cloud of cold hydrogen gas is called N159, and it’s located about 160 000 light-years away in the constellation Dorado. N159 is one of the most massive star-forming clouds in the Large...
NGC 1792
A storm of new stars
The subject of the latest Hubble Picture of the Week is a stormy and highly active spiral galaxy named NGC 1792. Located over 50 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Columba (the Dove), the bright glow of the galaxy’s centre is offset by the flocculent and sparkling spiral arms...
LDN 1641
Euclid Peers through a Dark Cloud’s Dusty Veil
This shimmering view of interstellar gas and dust was captured by the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope. The nebula is part of a so-called dark cloud, named LDN 1641. It sits at about 1300 light-years from Earth, within a sprawling complex of dusty gas clouds where stars are being...
NGC 1511
A disruptive neighbour
Though interesting to look at, NGC 1511 is one galaxy you might not want for a neighbour. Seen in this ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week, NGC 1511 is a peculiar spiral galaxy located roughly 50 million light-years away in the constellation Hydrus. Like many galaxies, NGC 1511 doesn’t travel...
NGC 4102
Revisiting an unusual spiral
What lies at the heart of this unusual-looking spiral galaxy? The galaxy NGC 4102, featured in this ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week, is home to what astronomers call an active galactic nucleus. Active galactic nuclei are luminous galactic centres powered by supermassive black holes that contain...
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...
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 288
4MOST first-light field-of-view
On October 18, the 4MOST instrument used its 2400 fibres for the first time to analyse the light from different cosmic objects. The spectrograph, which is installed on ESO’s VISTA telescope, observed a large patch of sky containing two prominent objects: the Sculptor Galaxy and the globular...
WOH G64
Image of the star WOH G64 taken by the VLTI
This is an image of the star WOH G64, taken by the GRAVITY instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO’s VLTI). This is the first close-up picture of a star outside our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The star is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud,...
Milky Way
A 340-million pixel starscape from Paranal
The second of three images of ESO’s GigaGalaxy Zoom project is a new and wonderful 340-million-pixel vista of the central parts of our galactic home, a 34 by 20-degree wide image that provides us with a view as experienced by amateur astronomers around the world. Taken by Stéphane Guisard, an...
NGC 1097
ERIS sees first light, capturing a detailed view of the inner ring of NGC 1097
ERIS, the Very Large Telescope’s newest infrared eye on the sky, captured this stunning image of the inner ring of the galaxy NGC 1097. This galaxy is located 45 million light-years away from Earth, in the constellation Fornax. ERIS has captured the gaseous and dusty ring that lies at the very...
Antlia Cluster
DECam Deep View of the Antlia Cluster
The Antlia Cluster (Abell S636) is a group of at least 230 galaxies located about 130 million light-years away in the direction of the constellation Antlia (the Air Pump). It hosts a rich variety of galaxy types, including lenticular galaxies, irregular galaxies and ultra-compact dwarfs. The...
Abell 3667
DECam’s Deep View of Abell 3667
Abell 3667 — an actively merging galaxy cluster — is featured in this image assembled from over 28 hours of observations with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo...
NGC 520
NGC 520
A galactic collision of two galaxies which began more than 300 million years ago, NGC 520 is actually made up of two disk galaxies which will eventually merge together to form one larger, more massive system. NGC 520 was discovered by William Herschel in 1784 and is one of the largest and...
IC 4212
IC 4212
IC 4212 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It is situated close to the celestial equator, meaning it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year.
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...
Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope
Background Galaxy Found in Image of Vela Supernova Remnant
This image shows a distant, twinkling spiral galaxy — one of the many cosmic treasures found within the new 1.3 gigapixel Vela Supernova Remnant image, captured with the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, mounted on the US National Science Foundation's Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter...
ANTL J102828-354128
Ultra-compact Dwarf Galaxy in the Antlia Cluster
The ultra-compact dwarf galaxy ANTL J102828-354128, found within a larger image of the Antlia Cluster — a group of at least 230 galaxies located about 130 million light-years away. This image was taken with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on...
ESO 375-53
Spiral Galaxy in the Antlia Cluster
Spiral Galaxy ESO 375-53, found within a larger image of the Antlia Cluster — a group of at least 230 galaxies located about 130 million light-years away. This image was taken with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the U.S. National Science...
ACO S 636
Galaxy Cluster in the Antlia Cluster
Galaxy cluster ACO S 636, found within a larger image of the Antlia Cluster — a group of at least 230 galaxies located about 130 million light-years away. This image was taken with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the U.S. National Science...
Antlia Cluster
Elliptical Galaxy in the Antlia Cluster
Elliptical galaxy NGC 3258, found within a larger image of the Antlia Cluster — a group of at least 230 galaxies located about 130 million light-years away. This image was taken with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the U.S. National...
M83
The Outskirts of the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy
Twelve million light-years away lies the galactic masterpiece Messier 83, also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. Its swirling spiral arms display a high rate of star formation and host six detected supernovae. This image was captured with the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy...
M83
The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (rotated)
Twelve million light-years away lies the galactic masterpiece Messier 83, also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. Its swirling spiral arms display a high rate of star formation and host six detected supernovae. This image was captured with the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy...
M83
Wide-field View of M83
A wide-field view of the area around M83, the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy.
NGC 3923
NGC 3923
The onion-like layers of shell galaxy NGC 3923 are beautifully showcased in this image taken with the DOE-built Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab. Located in the constellation Hydra...
PLCKESZ G287.0+32.9
PLCK G287.0+32.9 Gravitational Lensing
An extremely large gravitational lens around galaxy cluster PLCK G287.0+32.9
2MASX J11493310-2814370
Face-on spiral galaxy LEDA 744285
The face-on spiral galaxy LEDA 744285
ESO 440-11
Face-on spiral galaxy ESO 440-11
The face-on spiral galaxy ESO 440-11
ACO 3574
A Cluster of Interacting Galaxies
The galaxy cluster Abell 3574 is captured here by the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope, one of around 40 telescopes at the U.S. National Science Foundation Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile,...
M82
A starburst shines in infrared
Featured in this NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month is a nearby galaxy that outshines the Milky Way. This galaxy, called Messier 82 (M82) or the Cigar Galaxy, is situated just 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Despite being smaller than the...
NGC 6951
Starbursting centre
The glittering galaxy in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week is NGC 6951, which resides about 70 million light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. As this Hubble image shows, NGC 6951 is a spiral galaxy with plenty of intriguing structures. Most eye-catching are its...
NGC 7496
A well-studied spiral
The celestial object that is displayed in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week is NGC 7496, a galaxy located over 24 million light-years away in the constellation Grus (The Crane). NGC 7496 is a dusty spiral galaxy with a bar of stars stretching across its centre. Adding to...
NGC 3370
Focusing on NGC 3370
Today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week features a galaxy that Hubble has captured multiple times over more than 20 years. The galaxy is called NGC 3370, and it is a spiral galaxy located nearly 90 million light-years away in the constellation Leo (The Lion). What is it about this galaxy that...
NGC 4571
Spiralling star factory
A star-studded spiral galaxy shines in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week. This galaxy is called NGC 4571, and it’s situated about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. NGC 4571 dominates the scene with its feathery spiral structure and sparkling...
Sagittarius B2
Sagittarius B2 (NIRCam Image)
Stars, gas and cosmic dust in the Sagittarius B2 molecular cloud glow in near-infrared light, captured by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera). In this light, astronomers see more of the region’s diverse, colorful stars, but less of its gas and dust structure. Webb’s instruments each provide...
Sh2-284 p1
Stellar Jet in Sh2-284
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope recently imaged an extremely large and symmetric protostellar jet at the outskirts of our Milky Way galaxy in the forming cluster Sh2-284. From tip to tip, this protostellar jet is 8 light-years across, about double the distance from our Sun to its closest...
NGC 3370
NGC 3370 (wide view)
Today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week features a galaxy that Hubble has captured multiple times over more than 20 years. The galaxy is called NGC 3370, and it is a spiral galaxy located nearly 90 million light-years away in the constellation Leo (The Lion). What is it about this galaxy that...
Circinus Galaxy
Black holes don’t suck, they get fed!
Today’s Picture of the Week gives us a closer look at how black holes in the centre of galaxies feast. As some of you already know, the common belief that black holes simply suck in anything that comes near them, is wrong. Material can only fall into a black hole when it’s slowed down somehow —...
SN 2002ic
SN2002ic
This image of Supernova 2002ic was taken at the Swope 1-meter telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile on January 7, 2003. The supernova is the bright point of light in the center, at the intersection of two background galaxies. The host galaxy of the supernova is extremely faint and is...
SN 2019ehk
Hubble Space Telescope image of SN 2019ehk
Hubble Space Telescope image of SN 2019ehk in its spiral host galaxy, Messier 100. The image is a composite made of pre- and post-explosion images.
Excerpt of the area around NGC 4261
A trail of celestial objects stretches across this excerpt from a First Look image captured by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The most prominent feature is NGC 4261, the large elliptical galaxy in the top half of the image. In the bottom-left of the image is the lenticular galaxy NGC 4281....
NGC 2775
Spiral, elliptical or neither?
Today’s NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week features a galaxy that’s hard to categorise. The galaxy in question is NGC 2775, which lies 67 million light-years away in the constellation Cancer (The Crab). NGC 2775 sports a smooth, featureless centre that is devoid of gas,...
NGC 6000
Yellow and blue, old and new
Stars of all ages are on display in today’s NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week. This sparkling spiral galaxy is called NGC 6000 and it is located 102 million light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. This galaxy has a glowing yellow centre and glittering blue outskirts....
M82
The smouldering heart of a celestial cigar
What lurks behind the dense, dusty clouds of this galactic neighbour? There lies the star-powered heart of the galaxy Messier 82 (M82), also known as the Cigar Galaxy. Located just 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Bear), the Cigar Galaxy is considered a...
NGC 7456
A galaxy with lots to see
While it may appear unassuming at first glance, just another spiral galaxy among thousands in the Universe, this subject of the ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week has plenty to study. NGC 7456 is its name, located over 51 million light-years away in the constellation Grus (the Crane). In this image...
LMC N44C
Cloudy cluster
This new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week features a cloudy starscape from an impressive star cluster. This scene is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy situated about 160 000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa. With a mass equal to...
GRB 250702BDE
GRB 250702B, an unusually long and repeating gamma-ray burst
The orange dot at the centre of this image is a powerful explosion that repeated several times over the course of a day, an event unlike anything ever witnessed before. The image, taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), allowed astronomers to determine that the explosion didn’t take place...
Infinity Galaxy
Chandra Joins In Discovery of Infinity Galaxy and Possible Newborn Black Hole
Scientists have discovered an oddly-shaped galaxy that may contain the first newborn supermassive black hole ever spotted.
NGC 2276
Spiral galaxy NGC 2276
his is a combination of several exposures taken on the night of October 11th 1994 (UT of observation 12/10/94:10:43 to 11:00) with the 1k detector. Images were taken through three different filters approximating red (three exposures for a total of six minutes), blue (two, total 140 seconds) and...
NGC 1097
NGC 1097 at J
A Seyfert galaxy revealing its bright and active nucleus. This false-color image was made from several J-band (1.25 micron) observations and has a final FWHM of 0.5 arc seconds. This image was obtained with the Abu thermal infrared camera built by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, on...
NGC 1232
NGC 1232 in Eridanus
NGC1232, an almost face-on spiral galaxy of type Sc in the constellation Eridanus, is about 50 million light-years away and about 100000 light-years across. This true-color picture was created from eleven images taken in the BVR pass-bands at the Kitt Peak National Observatory's 2.1-meter...
M109
M109, NGC 3992
M109 is a type SBc barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. M109 is around 40 to 50 million light-years away in a loose galaxy grouping which includes M108 and possibly M106. This picture was created from observations using the T2KA CCD camera at the Kitt Peak National...
M110
M110, NGC 205
M110 is the second small companion (along with M32) to our sister galaxy, M31, the Andromeda Nebula. It is classified as type E5 or E6, often with the additional "p" for peculiar because of the structure clearly visible in this short exposure image, which is probably due to dust clouds. Because...
M108
M108, NGC 3556
M108 is a type Sc spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. Almost edge-on, it shows little or no bulge and no noticeably strong center, being a motley collection of features often referred to, in classic understatement, as very dusty. The spiral structure is not very clearly delineated,...
M101
M101, NGC 5457
The giant pinwheel galaxy, M101, in the constellation Ursa Major. Of type Sc, and quite similar to our own Galaxy, it is seen almost face-on, showing the spiral arms and the intervening dust lanes (dark filaments) with great clarity in this 1975 image from the Kitt Peak 4-meter Mayall...
M88
M88, NGC 4501
None M88, a symmetrical type Sc spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. This picture is from the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope. The Virgo cluster also includes Messier galaxies M49, M58, M59, M60, M61, M84, M85, M86, M87, M89, M90, M91, M98,...
M96
M96, NGC 3368
The Sa spiral galaxy M96 is the second brightest member of the Leo I galaxy grouping, which includes M95 and M105, as well as various NGC and other galaxies. At a distance of about 38 million light-years, the faint outer regions just visible at the top and (particularly) the bottom of this...
M82
M82, NGC 3034
M82, an irregular galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. This composite color image was created from CCD observations made at the Kitt Peak National Observatory's 0.9-meter telescope in late December 1994.
M74
M74, NGC 628
None A face-on type Sc spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces, M74 is about 30 million light-years away and about 80000 light-years across. KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope, 1975.
M49
M49, NGC 4472
None An elliptical galaxy of type E4 in the constellation Virgo, M49 is one of the many members of the Virgo Cluster. This short exposure picture shows the smooth mostly featureless structure typical of elliptical galaxies. This picture was taken in December 1996 at the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope:...
M60
M60, NGC 4649
M60 is a large elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo, being about 120000 light-years across. It stands out in even small telescopes due to the proximity of the late-type spiral NGC4647 (to the NW), but such apertures may only see the central brighter regions, making M60 look considerably...
M61
M61, NGC 4303
The SABbc spiral galaxy M61 is one of the larger galaxies in the Virgo cluster, with a core dimension some 100000 light-years (6 arc minutes) across, comparable to the size of our own Galaxy. This picture was taken in February 1996 at the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope. The Virgo cluster also...
NGC 598
M33, NGC 598
The Triangulum Galaxy, M33, a type Sc spiral, was imaged by the KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope in 1975. A member of our Local Group of galaxies, it is just visible with the naked eye.
M31
A piece of M31
Part of the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, seen through a narrow filter near, but not at, the H-alpha emission line of ionized hydrogen.
LMC
The Large Magellanic Cloud
A nearby irregular galaxy, the LMC is visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere and is a satellite to our own Galaxy. The large gaseous nebula is 30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula. From the CTIO Curtis Schmidt telescope, 1975.
Abell 2151
Cluster of galaxies in Hercules
None Abell 2151, the Hercules cluster, is a small, irregular cluster, with a core membership of fewer than 100 galaxies, and no strongly dominant central galaxy. It is more than 360 million light-years away and probably contains 1000 billion solar masses of sundry materials. It contains the two...
NGC 536
NGC 536: Hickson 10
This group of four galaxies is around 220 million light years away. The collection of spiral galaxies on the left side of the image include: (from top to bottom) NGC 542, NGC 536 and NGC 531. The warped arms of the latter two galaxies strongly suggests they are interacting with one another. NGC...
Abel 370
SAM images gravitational arcs in the Abel 370 cluster of galaxies
Nearly every "star" in this image is actually a galaxy. The SOAR Adaptive Module (SAM), built by CTIO/NOAO-S, is mounted on the SOAR 4.1 meter telescope: it creates an artificial laser guide star which enables the exquisite resolution seen here. The dark shadow on the left ( as seen in the full...
NGC 3842
NGC 3842
This collection of galaxies is part of a much larger cluster of galaxies (Abell 1367). From bottom left to top right the diagonal of galaxies includes NGC 3837, NGC 3842 (the large elliptical), NGC 3841, NGC 3845, NGC 3844, and NGC 3840 (the spiral at the very top right). All of these galaxies...
NGC 4088
NGC 4088
This spiral galaxy is located about 50 million lightyears away in the constellation Ursa Major. It had the third brightest supernova to be detected in 2009. It is part of a group of up to 50 other galaxies. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak...
Milky Way
Galactic Center at 4 microns
This image shows the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy in the infrared at 4.05 microns, centered around the Brackett Alpha emission line. Despite being a combination of 42 separate frames, each separately calibrated for sky emission, the final picture still has a mean FWHM averaged over 24...
NGC 6140
NGC 6140
This spiral galaxy is located in the constellation Draco. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 5907
NGC 5907
NGC 5907 is an edge-on spiral galaxy located about 50 million lightyears away from Earth in the constellation Draco. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 6027
NGC 6027
This group of six galaxies has a controversial background that is similar to another famous group - Stephan's Quintet. In this example, five of the six galaxies show recessional velocities (redshifts) that are approximately equivalent. However the small spiral galaxy has a retreating velocity...
NGC 428
NGC 428
NGC 428 is approximately 70 million light years away. Its distorted shape leads astronomers to think that this galaxy may have absorbed another galaxy in its recent history. The many starforming regions and bright blue star clusters hint at the activity present in the disk of this galaxy. The...
NGC 6745
Interacting galaxies NGC 6745
This is a Hubble Heritage image created by current and former NOAO staff members. The text is modified from the STScI press release, number STScI-PRC00-34 (Heritage). NGC6745 in the constellation of Lyra is a striking example of a galaxy-galaxy collision. A large spiral galaxy, with its nucleus...
NGC 5216
NGC 5216 and NGC 5218
In most pictures galaxies seem to be rather organized and substantial if not "solid-like" objects. However, no process better shows the ethereal and delicate nature of galaxies than when they collide. Unlike dancers on a dance floor, a galactic tango will strip stars and gas in a mutual...
NGC 4216
NGC 4216
NGC 4216 is an edge-on spiral galaxy located not far from the center of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. If the redshift of this galaxy was used to calculate the distance, it would be much smaller than expected. This is due to the internal motions of galaxies inside the Virgo Cluster. The entire...
NGC 5775
NGC 5775
This pair of galaxies is one of the most distinctive pairs of spiral galaxies in the Virgo cluster. NGC 5775 shows us its thin figure, while NGC 5774 displays its spiral arms face-on. These two galaxies are interacting. Close inspection reveals a very dim luminous chain which connects these...
NGC 4939
NGC 4939
NGC 4939 is a very pretty example of a spiral galaxy. The arms of this galaxy are unusually thin and long. There are many starforming regions dotting the spiral arms- but at a distance of 130 million light years away the majority of them are quite dim. If this galaxy was viewed face-on it would...
NGC 1365
NGC 1365 with JWST
In the MIRI observations of NGC 1365, clumps of dust and gas in the interstellar medium have absorbed the light from forming stars and emitted it back out in the infrared, lighting up an intricate network of cavernous bubbles and filamentary shells influenced by young stars releasing energy...
M29
M29, NGC 6913
M29 is an open cluster in the constellation Cygnus. Coarser and less impressive than some others, it is in a crowded area of our Galaxy, the Milky Way. Its distance is uncertain, being somewhere between 4000 and 6000 light-years, due to rather strong and poorly known absorption by intervening...
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,...
Pisces Galaxy Cluster
Cluster of galaxies in Pisces
None Another distant cluster of galaxies. KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope, 1975.
SMC
Small Magellanic Cloud
The Small Magellanic Cloud is an irregular dwarf galaxy in the constellation Tucana, and is a satellite of our own Milky Way Galaxy. The SMC is visible to the naked eye from the southern hemisphere. CTIO Curtis Schmidt telescope photograph.
Arp 217
The Bow and Arrow Galaxy
None This image was made by combining three CCD frames, taken at the Kitt Peak National Observatory's 0.9-meter telescope in April of 1987. By using different filters in front of the monochrome detector, corresponding approximately to the primary colors red, green and blue, it is possible to...
M87
M87, NGC 4486
A giant elliptical galaxy (E0) in the Virgo Cluster, M87 is a strong radio source, known as 3C274 or Virgo A. This image was taken at the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope in December 1996, and shows the inner regions of the galaxy, including the well-known jet. The full extent of the galaxy can be...
M85
M85, NGC 4382
A lenticular galaxy of type S0, M85 is the northernmost member of the Virgo Cluster, and is therefore situated in the constellation Coma Berenices. M85 is very similar to M84. This picture was made from observations taken at KPNO's 0.9-meter telescope in December 1996. The Virgo cluster also...
M84
M84, NGC 4374
M84 is an elliptical galaxy of type E1 and a member of the large Virgo Cluster of galaxies. There are also some suggestions that it is actually a face-on lenticular galaxy. Lenticulars, type S0, are mostly smooth and featureless, like elliptical galaxies, but have a significant amount of dust...
NGC 6015
NGC 6015
This spiral galaxy is located in the constellation Draco. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 4656
NGC 4656: The Hockey Stick
NGC 4656 is the "disturbed" neighbor to NGC 4631. The gravitational tug-of-war warps the disk of this galaxy. The nearness of the galaxy (perhaps 25 million light years away) allows small knotted star forming regions to be resolved. There are also quite a few background galaxies in the picture....
NGC 4725
NGC 4725
This barred spiral galaxy is located about 40 million lightyears away in the constellation Coma Berenices. This galaxy most likely contains a supermassive black hole at the center. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 2541
NGC 2541
At a distance of 24 million light years away, NGC 2541 is close enough to see the many HII regions that glow in the dim disk of this loose spiral. This particular galaxy is not alone in the sky towards the constellation of Lynx. Like our own Local Group of galaxies, NGC 2541 is part of a group...
NGC 578
NGC 578
At 70 million light years away, NGC 578 floats majestically amid many other far away galaxies. Small blue and pink regions hint at the sparkle and stellar life being created in this galaxy. One background galaxy (right of the center) is almost eclipsed by NGC 578- and seems to protrude from the...
Green Bean Galaxy
The Green Bean galaxy J2240
CFHT color image, taken in g,r, and i filters, of J2240. The very strong [OIII] emission leads to the peculiar green color of the galaxy near the center of the field. In this object the ultra-luminous narrow-line region (NLR) is as large as the entire object, 130,000 light-years across. The...
NGC 6070
NGC 6070
This spiral galaxy is located about 100 million lightyears away in the constellation Serpens. Back in 1998, this galaxy made APOD as one of the first-light images collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak...
NGC 5792
NGC 5792
This spiral galaxy is located about 83 million lightyears away in the constellation Libra. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 3198
NGC 3198
This barred spiral galaxy is located in the constellation Ursa Major. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
Eagle Nebula
The Eagle Nebula, M16
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 by...
