Wide-field view of the region of the sky where the Kinman Dwarf galaxy is located
This wide-field view shows the region of the sky, in the constellation of Aquarius, where the Kinman Dwarf galaxy can be found. This view was created from images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2.
Wide-field view of the region of the sky where AFGL 5142 is located
This wide-field view shows the region of the sky, in the constellation of Auriga, where the star-forming region AFGL 5142 is located. This view was created from images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2.
The sky around NGC 2899
This image shows the sky around the location of NGC 2899, which is visible at the very centre of the frame. This picture was created from images in the Digitized Sky Survey 2.
Pinpointing Gaia to Map the Milky Way
This image, a composite of several observations captured by ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope (VST), shows the space observatory Gaia as a faint trail of dots across the lower half of the star-filled field of view. These observations were taken as part of an ongoing collaborative effort to measure...
Messier 87 Captured by ESO’s Very Large Telescope
Messier 87 (M87) is an enormous elliptical galaxy located about 55 million light years from Earth, visible in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781, but not identified as a galaxy until 20th Century. At double the mass of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and...
A Cosmic Bat in Flight
Hidden in one of the darkest corners of the Orion constellation, this Cosmic Bat is spreading its hazy wings through interstellar space two thousand light-years away. It is illuminated by the young stars nestled in its core — despite being shrouded by opaque clouds of dust, their bright rays...
First Image of a Black Hole
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) — a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration — was designed to capture images of a black hole. In coordinated press conferences across the globe, EHT researchers revealed that they succeeded, unveiling...
A Fleeting Moment in Time
The faint, ephemeral glow emanating from the planetary nebula ESO 577-24 persists for only a short time — around 10,000 years, a blink of an eye in astronomical terms. ESO’s Very Large Telescope captured this shell of glowing ionised gas — the last breath of the dying star whose simmering...
First Light for SPECULOOS Southern Observatory’s Europa Telescope
This first light image from the Europa telescope at the SPECULOOS Southern Observatory (SSO) shows M83, the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. M83 is a picturesque and often-imaged galaxy — this object was also a first light image the SPECULOOS prototype telescope, TRAPPIST-South at ESO’s La Silla...
Digitized Sky Survey image around the planetary nebula ESO 577-24
The faint, ephemeral glow emanating from the planetary nebula ESO 577-24 persists for only a short time — around 10,000 years, a blink of an eye in astronomical terms. ESO’s Very Large Telescope captured this shell of glowing ionised gas — the last breath of the dying star whose simmering...
Coils of Apep
The VISIR instrument on ESO’s VLT captured this stunning image of a newly-discovered massive binary star system. Nicknamed Apep after an ancient Egyptian deity, it could be the first gamma-ray burst progenitor to be found in our galaxy. Apep’s stellar winds have created the dust cloud...
First Light for SPECULOOS Southern Observatory’s Callisto Telescope
This first light image from the Callisto telescope at the SPECULOOS Southern Observatory (SSO) shows the famous Horsehead Nebula . First light for a newly commissioned telescope is a tremendously exciting time, and usually well-known astronomical objects such as this are captured to...
First Light for SPECULOOS Southern Observatory’s Europa Telescope
This first light image from the Europa telescope at the SPECULOOS Southern Observatory (SSO) shows the heart of the Carina Nebula. The SSO is installed at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in the vast Atacama Desert, Chile, and consists of four 1-metre planet-hunting telescopes. The project’s...
A Galactic Gem
FORS2, an instrument mounted on ESO’s Very Large Telescope captured the spiral galaxy NGC 3981 in all its glory. The image, captured during the ESO Cosmic Gems Programme, showcases the beauty of the southern skies when conditions don’t allow scientific observations to be made.
Digitized Sky Survey image around Abell 2597
Observations by ALMA and data from the MUSE spectrograph on ESO’s VLT have revealed a colossal fountain of molecular gas powered by a black hole in the brightest galaxy of the Abell 2597 cluster — the first of its kind to be detected. The image is a colour composite made from exposures from the...
Digitized Sky Survey image of Eta Carinae Nebula
This image is a colour composite made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2). The field of view is approximately 4.7 x 4.9 degrees.
Deep observations made with the MUSE spectrograph on ESO’s Very Large Telescope have uncovered vast cosmic reservoirs of atomic hydrogen surrounding distant galaxies. The exquisite sensitivity of MUSE allowed for direct observations of dim clouds of hydrogen glowing with Lyman-alpha emission in...
Radioactive molecules in the remains of a stellar collision
Composite image of CK Vulpeculae, the remains of a double-star collision. This impact launched radioactive molecules into space, as seen in the orange double-lobe structure at the centre. This is an ALMA image of 27-aluminum monofluoride, but the rare isotropic version of AIF resides in the...
The Pirate of the Southern Skies
This vivid picture of an active star forming region — NGC 2467, otherwise known as the Skull and Crossbones nebula — is as sinister as it is beautiful. This image of dust, gas and bright young stars, gravitationally bound into the form of a grinning skull, was captured with the FORS instrument...
Bubbles of Brand New Stars
This dazzling region of newly-forming stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) was captured by the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The relatively small amount of dust in the LMC and MUSE’s acute vision allowed intricate details of the region to be...
This image is one of hundreds collected using the NACO instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile over a two-decade period to monitor the motions of stars orbiting the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way.
Digitized Sky Survey image around the galaxy NGC 5018 in the constellation of Virgo
This image is a colour composite made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2).
Planets in the making
Our Solar System formed out of a huge, primordial cloud of gas and dust. The vast majority of that cloud formed the Sun, while the leftover disc of rotating material around it eventually coalesced into the orbiting planets we know — and live on — today. Astronomers can observe similar processes...
Digitized Sky Survey image around the spiral galaxy NGC 3981
This image is a colour composite made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2). The field of view is approximately 2.4 x 2.0 degrees.
R Aquarii peculiar stellar relationship captured by SPHERE
While testing a new subsystem on the SPHERE planet-hunting instrument on ESO’s Very Large telescope, astronomers were able to capture dramatic details of the turbulent stellar relationship in the binary star R Aquarii with unprecedented clarity — even compared to observations from the NASA/ESA...
Celestial Art
New observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope show the star cluster RCW 38 in all its glory. This image was taken during testing of the HAWK-I camera with the GRAAL adaptive optics system. It shows the cluster and its surrounding clouds of brightly glowing gas in exquisite detail, with dark...
The centre of the Milky Way*
The central parts of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, as observed in the near-infrared with the NACO instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope. By following the motions of the most central stars over more than 16 years, astronomers were able to determine the mass of the supermassive black hole that...
SPHERE image of the newborn planet PDS 70b
This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the centre of the image, which is...
Digitized Sky Survey image around the Hubble ultra Deep Field
This image is a colour composite made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2). The field of view is approximately 2.4 x 2.0 degrees. The emptiness of this particular piece of sky is easily appreciated.
Widefield image of the sky around PDS 70
This colourful image shows the sky around the faint orange dwarf star PDS 70 (in the middle of the image). The bright blue star to the right is χ Centauri.
MUSE view of the surroundings of a hidden neutron star in the Small Magellanic Cloud
This new picture from the MUSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile shows how an elusive missing object was found amid a complex tangle of gaseous filaments in one of our nearest neighbouring galaxies, the Small Magellanic Cloud. The wisps of gas forming the supernova remnant 1E...
Widefield image of the sky around Barnard’s Star showing its motion
This wide-field image shows the surroundings of the red dwarf known as Barnard’s Star in the constellation of Ophiuchus (the Serpent-Bearer). This picture was created from material forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The centre of the image shows Barnard’s Star captured in three...
ALMA Discovers Trio of Infant Planets
ALMA has uncovered convincing evidence that three young planets are in orbit around the infant star HD 163296. Using a novel planet-finding technique, astronomers have identified three discrete disturbances in the young star’s gas-filled disc: the strongest evidence yet that newly formed...
Surroundings of the young star HD 163296
This wide-field image shows the surroundings of the young star HD 163296 in the rich constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer). This picture was created from material forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. HD 163296 is the bright bluish star at the centre.
Digitized Sky Survey image around NGC 2467
This vivid picture of an active star forming region — NGC 2467, otherwise known as the Skull and Crossbones nebula — is as sinister as it is beautiful. This image of dust, gas and bright young stars, gravitationally bound into the form of a grinning skull, was captured with the FORS instrument...
The image is a colour composite made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), and shows the region surrounding 2XMM J160050.7-514245, nicknamed “Apep”. The field of view is approximately 2.4 x 2.0 degrees.
The Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud
This gigantic star-forming region in the Milky Way’s neighbour galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud is the birthplace of an astonishing number of massive stars, some of which might have masses of up to 300 solar masses.
Digitized Sky Survey image around R Aquarii
While testing a new subsystem on the SPHERE planet-hunting instrument on ESO’s Very Large telescope, astronomers were able to capture dramatic details of the turbulent stellar relationship in the binary star R Aquarii with unprecedented clarity —even compared to observations from the NASA/ESA...
Hubble image of the globular star cluster NGC 3201 (unannotated)
This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the central region of the rich globular star cluster NGC 3201 in the southern constellation of Vela (The Sails). A star that has been found to be orbiting a black hole with four times the mass of the Sun lies close to the centre of this...
SPHERE image of the dusty disc around IM Lupi
This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope shows the dusty disc around the young star IM Lupi in finer detail than ever before.
SPHERE images the edge-on disc around the star GSC 07396-00759
This SPHERE observation is the discovery of an edge-on disc around the star GSC 07396-00759, which is a member of a multiple star system included in the DARTTS-S sample. Oddly, this new disc appears to be more evolved than the gas-rich disc around the T Tauri star in the same system, although...
An isolated neutron star in the Small Magellanic Cloud
This new picture created from images from telescopes on the ground and in space tells the story of the hunt for an elusive missing object hidden amid a complex tangle of gaseous filaments in one of our nearest neighbouring galaxies, the Small Magellanic Cloud. The reddish background image comes...
Galaxy cluster MACS j1149.5+223
This image shows the huge galaxy cluster MACS J1149.5+223, whose light took over 5 billion years to reach us. The huge mass of the cluster is bending the light from more distant objects. The light from these objects has been magnified and distorted due to gravitational lensing. The same effect...
The Rosy Glow of a Cosmic Seagull
Colourful and wispy Sharpless 2-296 forms the “wings” of an area of sky known as the Seagull Nebula — named for its resemblance to a gull in flight. This celestial bird contains a fascinating mix of intriguing astronomical objects. Glowing clouds weave amid dark dust lanes and bright stars. The...
Elliptical elegance
This deep image of the area of sky around the elliptical galaxy NGC 5018 offers a spectacular view of its tenuous streams of stars and gas. These delicate features are hallmarks of galactic interactions, and provide vital clues to the structure and dynamics of early-type galaxies.
X-ray view of the surroundings of a hidden neutron star in the Small Magellanic Cloud
This archival image from the NASA Chandra X-Ray Observatory shows how an elusive missing object was found amid a complex tangle of gaseous filaments in one of our nearest neighbouring galaxies, the Small Magellanic Cloud. The supernova remnant 1E 0102.2-7219 shows up dramatically, but when...
The Carina Nebula in infrared light
This spectacular image of the Carina nebula reveals the dynamic cloud of interstellar matter and thinly spread gas and dust as never before. The massive stars in the interior of this cosmic bubble emit intense radiation that causes the surrounding gas to glow. By contrast, other regions of the...
The surface of the red giant star π1 Gruis from PIONIER on the VLT
Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope have directly observed granulation patterns on the surface of a star outside the Solar System — the ageing red giant π1 Gruis. This remarkable new image from the PIONIER instrument reveals the convective cells that make up the surface of this huge...
Widefield image of the sky around π1 Gruis
This colourful image shows the sky around the bright pair of stars π1 Gruis (centre-right, very red) and π2 Gruis (centre-left, bluish-white). Just right of centre the bright spiral galaxy IC 5201 is also visible and many other fainter galaxies are scattered across this wide-field image from...
Glowing haloes around distant galaxies
This compound image shows the Hubble Ultra Deep Field region and highlights in blue the glowing haloes of gas around many distant galaxies discovered using the MUSE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile. The discovery of so many huge haloes, which radiate ultraviolet Lyma-alpha...
Surroundings of the star HR 8799
This wide-field image shows the surroundings of the young star HR8799 in the constellation of Pegasus. This picture was created from material forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The location of HR 8799 is shown.
ALMA Reveals Inner Web of Stellar Nursery
This spectacular and unusual image shows part of the famous Orion Nebula, a star formation region lying about 1350 light-years from Earth. It combines a mosaic of millimetre wavelength images from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the IRAM 30-metre telescope, shown in...
First light for MATISSE interferometric instrument
The MATISSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) successfully made its first observations at the Paranal Observatory in northern Chile in early-2018. MATISSE is the most powerful interferometric instrument in the world at mid-infrared wavelengths. It will use...
First light for MATISSE interferometric instrument
The MATISSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) successfully made its first observations at the Paranal Observatory in northern Chile in early-2018. MATISSE is the most powerful interferometric instrument in the world at mid-infrared wavelengths. It will use...
A wider view of the Carina Nebula
This wider coverage area reveals even more stars from the crowded neighbourhood surrounding the Carina nebula. Captured by VISTA, the world’s largest infrared survey telescope, we witness the dramatic evolution of this living stellar city, where stars form and perish side by side.
Hubble view of the surroundings of a hidden neutron star in the Small Magellanic Cloud
This picture from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope sets the scene for the story of the hunt for an elusive missing object hidden amid a complex tangle of gaseous filaments in one of our nearest neighbouring galaxies, the Small Magellanic Cloud. The wisps of gas forming the supernova remnant...
The Hubble Ultra Deep Field seen with MUSE
This colour image shows the Hubble Ultra Deep Field region, a tiny but much-studied region in the constellation of Fornax, as observed with the MUSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. But this picture only gives a very partial view of the riches of the MUSE data, which also provide a...
The Hubble Ultra Deep Field 2012
This image shows the Hubble Ultra Deep Field 2012, an improved version of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field image featuring additional observation time. The new data have revealed for the first time a population of distant galaxies at redshifts between 9 and 12, including the most distant object...
VLT/MUSE image of the galaxy NGC 4993 and associated kilonova
This image from the MUSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile shows the galaxy NGC 4993, about 130 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy is not itself unusual, but it contains something never before witnessed, the aftermath of the explosion of a pair...
VIMOS image of galaxy NGC 4993 showing the visible-light counterpart to a merging neutron star pair
This image from the VIMOS instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile shows the galaxy NGC 4993, about 130 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy is not itself unusual, but it contains something never before witnessed, the aftermath of the explosion of a...
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NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The award is part of NASA’s Science Activation program, which strives to further enable NASA science experts and content into the learning environment more effectively and efficiently with learners of all ages.