The antennae galaxies - NGC4038/9
One of the first images from the new VIMOS facility, obtained right after the moment of "first light" on February 26, 2002. It shows the famous "Antennae Galaxies" (NGC 4038/9), the result of a recent collision between two galaxies. As an immediate outcome of this dramatic event, stars are...
NGC 2613
VIMOS photo of NGC 2613, a spiral galaxy that resembles our own Milky Way. Composite VRI image obtained on February 28, 2002. The individual exposures lasted 180 seconds; image quality 0.7 arcsec FWHM; field 7 x 7 arcmin2 ; North is up and East is left.
Spiral galaxy NGC 300 (H-alpha band)
NGC 300, as seen through a narrow optical filter (H-alpha) in the red light of hydrogen atoms. A population of intrinsically bright and young stars turned "on" just a few million years ago. Their radiation and strong stellar winds have shaped many of the clouds of ionized hydrogen gas ("HII...
VIMOS integrated field-spectrum of antennae galaxies
The image was obtained with the Integral Field Spectroscopy mode of VIMOS. In one single exposure, more than 3000 spectra were taken of the central area of the Antennae Galaxies (ESO Press Photo eso0209b). The exposure lasted 300 seconds and was made with the low resolution red grating.
In Tarantula territory (a)
A reproduction of a composite colour image of the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and its surroundings. The LMC is a satellite galaxy to our Milky Way system, located in the southern constellation Dorado (the Swordfish) at a distance of approximately 170,000 light-years....
First VIMOS Spectra (in detail)
An enlargement of the first Multi-Object Spectroscopy (MOS) observations with VIMOS showing a small part of the field shown in ESO Press Photo eso0209b. The light from each galaxy passes through the dedicated slit in the mask (see ESO Press Photo eso0209k) and produces a spectrum on the...
Spectrum of the distant galaxy MS 1512-cB58 (detail)
An enlargement of a small wavelength region that shows the full resolution and extreme wealth of information contained in the spectrum of this faint object. This image is observed at full resolution (434.8 - 443.0 nm), with two dozen Lyman-alpha absorption lines (indicated by red marks)...
The nucleus of comet Wirtanen
The image reveals a false-colour composite image of the nucleus of Comet Wirtanen (the point of light at the centre), recorded on December 9, 2001, with the FORS2 multi-mode instrument at the 8.2-m VLT YEPUN Unit Telescope. It is based on four exposures and since the telescope was set to track...
Head of column No. 2 in Eagle Nebula
Enlarged view of the head of Column 2. The bright blue-yellow source embedded in nebulosity near the tip is another young star unseen in the Hubble images: although it appears to be double here, it is in fact just one relatively massive young star surrounding by nebulosity. Technical...
Sample integral field units at FLAMES
An example of observations with Integral Field Units (IFUs) at FLAMES (only 4 of the 15 units are shown here). Each IFU is placed so that it records the light from 20 small adjacent sky areas (each measuring about 3 x 2 arcsec 2). In this way, it is possible to register simultaneously the...
Head of column No. 1 in Eagle Nebula
Enlarged view of the head of the largest of the three main pillars, Column 1. The head is almost transparent around the edges at near-infrared wavelengths, but there is still a substantial opaque core which even these near-infrared VLT observations cannot penetrate. The complex bluish...
Head of Column No. 4 in Eagle Nebula
Enlarged view of the head of Column 4 in the Eagle Nebula. This column is similar to the more familiar ones, but thus far less impacted by the massive stars in NGC6611. The two red nebulosities in the head signpost one or more young stars so deeply embedded that they cannot be seen directly in...
The ISAAC infrared images of Messier 16
This shows a zoom into the centre of ESO Press Photo eso0142a, with the infrared view of the columns and their immediate surroundings in more detail. The pillars or columns are numbered 1 to 3 from left to right (east to west). The pillars themselves are less prominent than on the Hubble...
Image of a MACHO
This image is based on three exposures from the WFPC2 camera at the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained in the V-, R- and I-bands (shown as blue, green and red, respectively). It shows the first image of a Dark Matter object — a MACHO (a massive compact object). It is the red object that...
The first MACHO spectrum
Composite spectrum of the two very close objects seen on the HST image (ESO Press Photo eso0140). It is based on four 1500-second exposures that were obtained with the FORS2 multi-mode instrument at the 8.2-m VLT KUEYEN telescope on February 2, 2001. The presence of certain metal and alkali...
The Becklin-Neugebauer object
Composite (false-) colour image obtained by NAOS-CONICA of the region around the Becklin-Neugebauer object that is deeply embedded in the Orion Nebula. It is based on two exposures, one in the light of shock-excited molecular hydrogen line (H 2 ; wavelength 2.12 µm; here rendered as blue) and...
"First light" for NAOS-CONICA at VLT YEPUN
The first image in the infrared K-band (wavelength 2.2 µm) of a star (visual magnitude 8) obtained - before (left) and after (right) the adaptive optics was switched on (see the text). The middle panel displays the 3-D intensity profiles of these images, demonstrating the tremendous gain, both...
Image of a 17-mag reference star
The image shows the near-diffraction-limited image of a 17-mag reference star, as recorded with NAOS-CONICA during a 200-second exposure in the K-band under 0.60 arcsec seeing. The 3D-profile is also shown.
The central star cluster in 30 Doradus in the LMC
The image shows the central cluster in the 30 Doradus HII region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite of our Milky Way Galaxy. It was obtained by NAOS-CONICA in the infrared K-band during a 600 second exposure. The field shown here measures 15 x 15 arcsec 2.
The star-forming region around NGC 3603
The sky area shown in the NAOS-CONICA high-resolution image is indicated on an earlier image of a much larger area, obtained in 1999 with the ISAAC multi-mode instrument on VLT ANTU (ESO Press Release eso9946)
Area near centre of NGC 3603
This image displays a NAOS-CONICA image of the starburst cluster NGC 3603, obtained during the second night of NAOS-CONICA operation. The sky region shown is some 20 arcsec to the North of the centre of the cluster. NAOS was compensating atmospheric disturbances by analyzing light from the...
The potential of Adaptive Optics
This image was obtained with the WFPC2 camera on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the I-band (800nm). It is a 400-sec exposure and shows the same sky region as in the NAOS-CONICA image shown in ESO Press Photo eso0137 .
Separation of a very close double star
The image shows a NAOS-CONICA image of the double star GJ 263 for which the angular distance between the two components is only 0.030 arcsec . The raw image, as directly recorded by CONICA, is shown in the middle, with a computer-processed (using the ONERA MISTRAL myopic deconvolution...
Comparison of HST and NACO image of NGC 3603
Direct comparison of two images of the same region in NGC 3603 (animated GIF). One taken with the HST (extracted from archival data) and one taken with NAOS-CONICA at the VLT. This comparison dramatically shows the potential of Adaptive Optics. (HST is operated by NASA and ESA.)
An infrared portrait of the barred spiral galaxy Messier 83
The image is a false-colour infrared photo of the nearby barred spiral galaxy Messier 83. It is based on the combination of three images obtained in the Ks- (wavelength 2.2 µm), J- (1.2 µm) and I-bands (0.8 µm), respectively. The first two were recorded with the SOFI instrument at the ESO 3.5-m...
An infrared portrait of the barred spiral galaxy Messier 83
The image is a false-colour infrared photo of the nearby barred spiral galaxy Messier 83. It shows the central area in detail. Technical information: This image of Messier 83 is based on a composite of three images in the filters Ks (NTT + SOFI ; wavelength 2.162 µm; Full-Width-Half-Maximum...
ISAAC spectrum of star from GRS 1915+105 binary system
The image shows one of the infrared ISAAC spectra of GRS 1915+105 . It is a K-band spectrum (in the 2.2 µm near-infrared spectral region) that reveals several previously unnoticed spectral features from the companion star that donates matter to the black hole. The presence and characteristics...
Eclipsing binary system in Orion
The RXJ 0529.4+0041 system at mid-secondary eclipse. The object RXJ 0529.4+0041 was first discovered by the X-ray satellite ROSAT. Subsequent optical spectroscopy showed this object to be a young, low-mass spectroscopic binary system. And when a team of astronomers used a 91-cm telescope at...
Eclipsing binary system in Orion
The RXJ 0529.4+0041 system after primary eclipse. The object RXJ 0529.4+0041 was first discovered by the X-ray satellite ROSAT. Subsequent optical spectroscopy showed this object to be a young, low-mass spectroscopic binary system. And when a team of astronomers used a 91-cm telescope at...
Eclipsing binary system in Orion
The RXJ 0529.4+0041 system before primary eclipse. The object RXJ 0529.4+0041 was first discovered by the X-ray satellite ROSAT. Subsequent optical spectroscopy showed this object to be a young, low-mass spectroscopic binary system. And when a team of astronomers used a 91-cm telescope at...
Eclipsing binary system in Orion
The RXJ 0529.4+0041 system after secondary eclipse. The object RXJ 0529.4+0041 was first discovered by the X-ray satellite ROSAT. Subsequent optical spectroscopy showed this object to be a young, low-mass spectroscopic binary system. And when a team of astronomers used a 91-cm telescope at...
SIMBA image of the infrared source IRAS 17271-3439
This SIMBA image is centered on IRAS 17271-3439 and includes an extended bright source that is associated with several compact HII regions as well as a cluster of weaker sources.
SIMBA image of the infrared source IRAS 18434-0242
This SIMBA image is centered on the object IRAS 18434-0242 . It includes many bright sources that are associated with dense cores and compact HII regions located deep inside the cloud. A much less detailed map was made several years ago with a single channel bolometer on SEST. The new SIMBA map...
Eclipsing binary system in Orion
The RXJ 0529.4+0041 system at mid-primary eclipse. The object RXJ 0529.4+0041 was first discovered by the X-ray satellite ROSAT. Subsequent optical spectroscopy showed this object to be a young, low-mass spectroscopic binary system. And when a team of astronomers used a 91-cm telescope at...
Asteroid "2001 KX76"
The image is a colour composite image showing Asteroid "2001 KX76", based on three exposures with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) at the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at the La Silla Observatory.
SIMBA image of the infrared source IRAS 17175-3544
This intensity-coded, false-colour SIMBA image is centered on the infrared source IRAS 17175-3544 and covers the well-known high-mass star formation complex NGC 6334, at a distance of 5500 light-years. The southern bright source is an ultra-compact region of ionized hydrogen ("HII region")...
Centre of the active galaxy NGC 5728
This is a photo of an active galaxy that was observed with ISAAC during the programme being carried out. It shows NGC 5728 (K-band). The bar-like structure and the luminous centre where the Black Hole is located is visible. The distance to this galaxy is approximately 120 million light-years;...
Centre of the active galaxy NGC 1808
This is a photo of an active galaxy that was observed with ISAAC during the programme being carried out. It shows the central areas of NGC 1808 (H-band). The bar-like structure and the luminous centre where the Black Hole is located is visible. The distance to this galaxy is approximately 35...
ISAAC spectrum of the central region of NGC 1808
This image is a reproduction of a long-slit ISAAC spectrum of the central region of the active galaxy NGC 1808. It is in the 2.3 µm spectral region and the wavelength increases towards right. Several strong, vertical bands are seen; they are caused by CO-molecules in the atmospheres of the...
Coronal Fe XIII emission line in CN Leonis
This chart represents a "decomposition" of an emission line at wavelength 3388.1 Ångstrom (338.81 nm) into two components. The observed spectral intensity is indicated by the ''step''-curve (in blue). As will be seen, the sum (fully drawn red line) of a strong and narrow line from titanium ions...
Jupiter and Io
This is a thermal-infrared image of Jupiter, obtained by the ISAAC multi-mode instrument at the 8.2-m VLT ANTU telescope on Paranal on November 14, 2000; the Universal Time (UT) of exposure is indicated. It is part of a series of images showing the dramatically different appearance of...
The Trapezium cluster
This image shows a colour composite of near-infrared images of the central regions of the Orion Nebula, obtained on March 14, 2000, with the SOFI instrument at the ESO 3.5-m New Technology Telescope (NTT) at La Silla. Three exposures were made through J- (wavelength 1.25 µm here colour-coded as...
Jupiter and Io
This is a thermal-infrared image of Jupiter, obtained by the ISAAC multi-mode instrument at the 8.2-m VLT ANTU telescope on Paranal on November 14, 2000; the Universal Time (UT) of exposure is indicated. It is part of a series of images showing the dramatically different appearance of...
Jupiter and Io
This is a thermal-infrared image of Jupiter, obtained by the ISAAC multi-mode instrument at the 8.2-m VLT ANTU telescope on Paranal on November 14, 2000; the Universal Time (UT) of exposure is indicated. It is part of a series of images showing the dramatically different appearance of...
UV spectrum of CN Leonis
This chart represents a small part of the near-ultraviolet spectrum of CN Leonis, obtained with UVES at the 8.2-m VLT KUEYEN telescope in January 2001, showing many emission lines from nickel atoms (Ni I) and titanium ions (Ti II).
Tvashtor hotspot on Io
This image shows a small area of an image obtained through a narrow-band filter centred at 4.07 µm. The bright object is the Jovian moon Io ; its image is further enlarged to the left. A strong asymmetry is evident, with the Tvashtar hot spot well visible in the upper right quadrant.
Quasar HE 1013-2136 with tidal tails
This photograph shows an image of the Quasar HE 1013-2136 (center) and its surroundings, as obtained with the FORS2 multi-mode instrument at the 8.2-m VLT KUEYEN telescope in February 2001. A spectacular arc-like tidal tail stretches from the quasar towards south-east (lower-left) over a...
Jupiter's auroral ring and polar haze
This photo shows the Jovian aurorae, in particular the northern ring (here shown in yellow/orange) as well as the "polar haze" (blue). The visibility of the various features has been enhanced by the use of false-colours. The moon Io is visible to the left. Technical information: this image is...
Quasar HE 1013-2136 with tidal tails
This photograph shows an image of the Quasar HE 1013-2136 (center) and its surroundings sharpened with a computer algorithm to bring out more details in the immediate neighbourhood of the quasar. Now numerous details can be recognized within the two tidal tails, including various knotty...
Very young brown dwarfs in the Orion Nebula
This is an animated GIF of a colour composite of near-infrared images of the central regions of the Orion Nebula and its corresponding finding chart, obtained on March 14, 2000, with the SOFI instrument at the ESO 3.5-m New Technology Telescope (NTT) at La Silla. Three exposures were made...
Jupiter and Io
This is a thermal-infrared image of Jupiter, obtained by the ISAAC multi-mode instrument at the 8.2-m VLT ANTU telescope on Paranal on November 14, 2000; the Universal Time (UT) of exposure is indicated. It is part of a series of images showing the dramatically different appearance of...
Three nuclei of comet LINEAR
This photograph shows the three nuclei of Comet LINEAR (C/2001 A2). It is a reproduction of a 1-min exposure in red light, obtained in the early evening of May 16, 2001, with the 8.2-m VLT YEPUN (UT4) telescope at Paranal. Technical information: this image is based on a 1-min exposure on May...
The break-up of comet LINEAR
This photograph shows the three nuclei of Comet LINEAR (C/2001 A2), but in a false-colour rendering for more clarity. The cometary fragment "B" (right) has split into "B1" and "B2" (separation about 1 arcsec, or 500 km) while fragment "A" (upper left) is considerably fainter. Technical...
A group of objects at redshift 3.04
This is a "true-colour" image of part of the sky field near the quasar Q 1205-30. Red, blue and yellow objects are displayed with their true colours, while objects at a redshift of about 3 and with strong Lyman-alpha emission lines have a bright green colour (see the text). Six Lyman-alpha...
The sky area of EROS-BLG-2000-5
This is a photo of the sky area around the microlensing event EROS-BLG-2000-5 (indicated, near the centre). Technical information: this image shows a 0.25-sec acquisition exposure of EROS-BLG-2000-5, obtained with VLT ANTU + FORS1 in order to set up the spectrograph slit for the subsequent...
Interacting galaxies in the Capodimonte Deep Field
This is an image of interacting galaxies that are seen in the Capodimonte Deep Field. The enlargement covers 1250 x 1130 WFI pixels (1 pixel = 0.24 arcsec), or about 5.0 x 4.5 arcmin 2 in the sky. The lower spiral is itself an interactive double. Technical information: this image displays...
Celestial objects in the Capodimonte Deep Field
This image shows a spiral galaxy and a nebulous object in the Capodimonte Deep Field. The field shown covers 1250 x 750 pixels, or about 5 x 3 arcmin 2 in the sky. Note the very red objects next to the two bright stars in the lower-right corner. The colours of these objects are consistent with...
Lithium-6 in HD 82943
This chart represents the spectrum of HD 82943, showing the region around the Lithium absorption line. The general shape of this spectral line is caused by Lithium-7 atoms in the atmosphere of the star, while the presence of Lithium-6 causes a certain asymmetry. Model computations have been...
The Capodimonte Deep Field
This image shows an enlargement of an elliptical galaxy that is located to the west (right) in the Capodimonte Deep Field. The numerous tiny objects surrounding the galaxy may be globular clusters. The fuzzy object on the right edge of the field may be a dwarf spheroidal galaxy. The size of the...
The Eagle's EGGs *
Messier 16 (M16), also known as the Eagle Nebula, is located in the southern constellation of Serpens (the Snake). Using the infrared multi-mode ISAAC instrument on the 8.2-m VLT ANTU telescope, European astronomers were able to image the Eagle Nebula at near-infrared wavelength. The ISAAC...
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