Details of the VISTA Flame Nebula image
Upper left: This VISTA close-up of the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) shows the bright young stars at its core and the smoke-like tendrils of dust and gas in great detail. This extract covers a field about twelve arcminutes across.Lower left : Close to the Flame Nebula lies a bright reflection nebula...
The “meal” of Centaurus A
Comparison between a visible-light image (left) of Centaurus A, as seen with the FORS2 instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT), and a near-infared view (right) obtained with the SOFI instrument on ESO’s New Technology Telescope, at La Silla. Centaurus A (NGC 5128) is the nearest giant,...
Details of the VISTA Fornax galaxy cluster image
Upper left: The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1399 is one of the biggest and brightest galaxies in the Fornax Galaxy Cluster. This huge ball of old stars is surrounded by a cloud of globular star clusters that appear as faint points in this small extract of the VISTA infrared image. Many other...
Star-forming region NGC 346
NGC 346, the brightest star-forming region in the neighbouring Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy, some 210,000 light-years away from Earth. The light, wind and heat given off by massive stars have dispersed the glowing gas within and around this star cluster, forming a surrounding wispy nebular...
Details of the VISTA Galactic Centre image
Left: Clouds of stars and dust towards the heart of our galaxy. This detail from the VISTA infrared image of the central regions of the Milky Way shows a very dense star cloud to the left and complex branching clouds of dust to the right. The red colour comes from the scattering and absorption...
Around the star cluster Terzan 5
This wide-field image, based on data from Digitized Sky Survey 2, shows the whole region around the stellar grouping Terzan 5.
Widest adaptive optics view of the open star cluster Trumpler 14
This impressive image of the open cluster known as Trumpler 14 was obtained with the Multi-conjugate Adaptive optics Demonstrator (MAD) mounted on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The cluster, which is found to be only 500 000 years old — a blink of an eye in the Universe’s history — resides at the...
Wide-field view of the field around NGC 4666
This visible light wide-field image of the region around NGC 4666 was created from photographs taken through red and blue filters and forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The galaxy appears close to the centre. The dazzling blue star to the lower-right is the brilliant double star Gamma...
A Hubble gem: the Jewel Box
This image is a “close-up” view from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope of NGC 4755, or the Jewel Box cluster. Several very bright, pale blue supergiant stars, a solitary ruby-red supergiant and a variety of other brilliantly coloured stars are visible in the image, as well as many much...
Shell around V445 Puppis (December 2005)
Using the NACO adaptive optics instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope and its ability to obtain images as sharp as if taken from space, astronomers looked at a bipolar shell ejected by a "vampire star", which underwent an outburst after gulping down part of its companion’s matter.
Shell around V445 Puppis (October 2006)
Using the NACO adaptive optics instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope and its ability to obtain images as sharp as if taken from space, astronomers looked at a bipolar shell ejected by a "vampire star", which underwent an outburst after gulping down part of its companion’s matter.
The sky around Messier 83
This wide-field view shows the field around the spiral galaxy Messier 83. The image was created from photographs in red and blue light taken from the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The field of view is 2.9 degrees across.
Shell around V445 Puppis (March 2005)
Using the NACO adaptive optics instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope and its ability to obtain images as sharp as if taken from space, astronomers looked at a bipolar shell ejected by a "vampire star", which underwent an outburst after gulping down part of its companion’s matter.
Putting the Jewel Box in perspective (composite image)
This composite image serves as a still “zoom-in”, showing the rich star field in which NGC 4755 nestles and then moving in to the detailed Hubble image of the Kappa Crucis Cluster, or Jewel Box, itself. The range of images begins with a very wide-field view of the sky surrounding NGC 4755. The...
Gigantic structure of galaxies
This image, obtained with the Subaru Telescope, operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan was used by a team of astronomers, led by Masayuki Tanaka from the European Southern Observatory (ESO), to uncover a gigantic, previously unknown assembly of galaxies located almost seven...
Around the star-formation region Gum 19 (RCW 34)
This image shows the area around the star-forming region Gum 19 (also known as RCW 34), in the direction of the constellation of Vela (The Sails), as seen by the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The image covers an area of 3 by 3 degrees on the sky.
Shell around V445 Puppis (March 2007)
Using the NACO adaptive optics instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope and its ability to obtain images as sharp as if taken from space, astronomers looked at a bipolar shell ejected by a “vampire star”, which underwent an outburst after gulping down part of its companion’s matter.
Digitized sky survey 2 image of NGC 4755
A wide-field image of the region around NGC 4755 (the Jewel Box) constructed from data from the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The bright star is Mimosa, one of the four stars in the Southern Cross. The darkness towards the bottom of the image is part of the Coal Sack, a vast area of obscuring dust...
The region around SMM J2135-0102 and the galaxy cluster MACS J2135-010217
This image shows the wider region around the distant galaxy SMM J2135-0102, which is being gravitationally lensed by the galaxy cluster MACS J2135-010217. The image, from the Second Generation Digitized Sky Survey, covers a field of view of 4.5 x 4 degrees.
The Cat's Paw Nebula*
The Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334) is a vast region of star formation. This new portrait of NGC 6334 was created from images taken with the Wide Field Imager instrument at the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, combining images taken through blue, green and red...
Around Abell 315
This image, based on data from the Digitized Sky Survey 2, shows a wide area (2.6 x 2.9 degrees) around the cluster of galaxies Abell 315.
The expanding shell around V445 Puppis
Using the NACO adaptive optics instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope and its ability to obtain images as sharp as if taken from space, astronomers have made the first time-lapse movie of a bipolar shell ejected by a “vampire star”, which underwent an outburst after gulping down part of its...
Around the nova V445 Puppis
This wide-field image, based on data from Digitized Sky Survey 2, shows the whole region around the nova V445 Puppis.
A snapshot of the Jewel Box cluster with the ESO VLT
The FORS1 instrument on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) at ESO’s Paranal Observatory was used to take this exquisitely sharp close up view of the colourful Jewel Box cluster, NGC 4755. The telescope’s huge mirror allowed very short exposure times: just 2.6 seconds through a blue filter (B),...
The hidden fires of the Flame Nebula*
This image, the first to be released publicly from VISTA, the world’s largest survey telescope, shows the spectacular star-forming region known as the Flame Nebula, or NGC 2024, in the constellation of Orion (the Hunter) and its surroundings. In views of this evocative object in visible light...
The GigaGalaxy Zoom composite
The three images of ESO’s GigaGalaxy Zoom project showing the sky at different levels: from the view seen by the unaided eye to one seen through an amateur telescope, with a final zoom in onto the Lagoon Nebula as seen through a professional telescope.
Gigantic structure of galaxies
This image, obtained with the Subaru Telescope, operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan was used by a team of astronomers, led by Masayuki Tanaka from the European Southern Observatory (ESO), to uncover a gigantic, previously unknown assembly of galaxies located almost seven...
An infrared/visible comparison view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula
This image compares infrared and visible views of the Cat’s Paw Nebula. The visible light image (right) was taken with the Wide Field Imager on the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla in Chile (eso1003). The new infrared image (left) was taken with the VISTA telescope at ESO’s Paranal...
370-million-pixel starscape of the Lagoon Nebula
The third image of ESO’s GigaGalaxy Zoom project is an amazing vista of the Lagoon Nebula taken with the 67-million-pixel Wide Field Imager attached to the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The image covers more than one and a half square degree — an area eight...
Wide field image of the Jewel Box
This image of the well-known NGC 4755 cluster or Jewel Box was taken with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. It highlights the cluster and its rich surroundings in all their multicoloured glory. The field of view is 20 arcminutes...
Trumpler 14 in the Carina Nebula
This image of the Carina Nebula shows the position of the Trumpler 14 cluster of stars.
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...
Reflection nebula around HD 87643
This image, centred on the B[e] star HD 87643, beautifully shows the extended nebula of gas and dust that reflects the light from the star. The central star's wind appears to have shaped the nebula, leaving bright, ragged tendrils of gas and dust. A careful investigation of these features seems...
Wide-field view of part of the Large Magellanic Cloud
This wide-field view shows a section of the Large Magellanic Cloud, centred on the unusual globular cluster NGC 1978. The image was created from photographs in red and blue light taken from the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The field of view is 2.9 degrees across.
VISTA’s infrared view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula*
Infrared view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334) taken by VISTA. NGC 6334 is a vast region of star formation about 5500 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Scorpius. The whole gas cloud is about 50 light-years across. NGC 6334 is one of the most active nurseries of young massive...
Barnard's Galaxy
Astronomers obtained this portrait of Barnard’s Galaxy using the Wide Field Imager attached to the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in northern Chile. Also known as NGC 6822, this dwarf irregular galaxy is one of the Milky Way’s galactic neighbours. The dwarf galaxy has...
Composite "zoom" on the double star HD 87643
The star HD 87643 is at the center of the extended nebula of dust and gas on the first image, obtained with the Wide Field Imager on the ESO/MPG 2.2-metre telescope on La Silla. The central panel is a zoom on the star obtained with NACO on ESO's VLT on Paranal. The last panel zooms further,...
Star formation in the constellation of Carina
This wide-field image, based on data from Digitized Sky Survey 2, shows the whole region around the cosmic factory NGC 3603, located about 20 000 light-years away. This region contains many star formation regions featuring huge clouds of glowing gas.
The planet-hosting star CoRoT-7
The star CoRoT-7 is located towards the constellation of Monoceros (the Unicorn) at a distance of about 500 light-years. Slightly smaller and cooler than our Sun, CoRoT-7 is also thought to be younger, with an age about 1.5 billion years. It is now known to have two planets, one of them being...
The surroundings of NGC 300
This wide field image, from the Digitized Sky Survey 2, shows the area around the spiral galaxy, NGC 300, six million light-years from Earth.The field of view is about 2.92x2.94 degrees.
The Trifid Nebula
The massive star factory known as the Trifid Nebula was captured in all its glory with the Wide-Field Imager camera attached to the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in northern Chile. So named for the dark dust bands that trisect its glowing heart, the Trifid Nebula is...
The region of Orion’s Belt and the Flame Nebula
This spectacular visible light wide-field view of part of the famous belt of the great celestial hunter Orion shows the region of the sky around the Flame Nebula. The whole image is filled with glowing gas clouds illuminated by hot blue young stars. It was created from photographs in red and...
The double star HD 87643
Observations made with ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer allowed a team of astronomers to discover that the star HD 87643, which lies at the centre of a dusty nebula, has a companion located about 50 times the mean Earth-Sun distance. This companion completes an orbit in a few tens of...
GigagalaxyZoom phase 2
The two first images of ESO’s GigaGalaxy Zoom project combined to show a whole view of the Milky Way as could be seen with the unaided eye, and a more central region observed with an amateur telescope.
The region around the massive star IRS2
Colour composite image of the central part of the stellar cluster RCW 38, around the young, massive star IRS2, taken with the NACO adaptive optics instrument attached to ESO's Very Large Telescope. Thanks to this image, astronomers were able to discover that IRS2 is in fact a twin system...
Star cluster RCW 38
The dense star cluster RCW 38 glistens about 5,500 light years away in the direction of the constellation Vela (the Sails). RCW 38 is an "embedded" cluster, in that the nascent cloud of dust and gas still envelops its stars. There, young, titanic stars bombard fledgling suns and planets with ...
Betelgeuse in Orion (with annotations)
This collage shows the Orion constellation in the sky (Betelgeuse is identified by the marker), a zoom towards Betelgeuse, and the sharpest ever image of this supergiant star, which was obtained with NACO on ESO’s Very Large Telescope.
Around NGC 1788
The delicate nebula NGC 1788 is located in a dark and often neglected corner of the constellation Orion. Although this ghostly cloud is rather isolated from Orion’s bright stars, their powerful winds and light have a strong impact on the nebula, forging its shape and making it a home to a...
The Galactic Centre and Sagittarius B2
Colour-composite image of the Galactic Centre and Sagittarius B2 as seen by the ATLASGAL survey. The centre of the Milky Way is home to a supermassive black hole more than four million times the mass of our Sun. It is about 25 000 light years from Earth. Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) is one of the...
HD 87643
A close-up of the star HD 87643, taken with the adaptive optics instrument, NACO, on ESO's Very Large Telescope. Adaptive optics allows astronomers to compensate for the blurring effect of the atmosphere, revealing details 20 times smaller than the associated WFI image. The image was obtained...
The Arches cluster
This image of the Arches Cluster of young, massive stars was obtained with NACO on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The field of view is 28 arcseconds. North is up and east is to the left. This image is a composite of infrared images obtained through J, H and K filters. The stars appear as bright...
The RCW120 nebula
Colour-composite image of RCW120 as seen by the ATLASGAL survey. RCW 120 is a region where an expanding bubble of ionised gas about ten light-years across is causing the surrounding material to collapse into dense clumps that are the birthplaces of new stars. In this image, the ATLASGAL...
The NGC 6357 and NGC 6334 nebulae
Colour-composite image of the nebulae NGC 6357 (left) and NGC 6334 (right) as seen by the ATLASGAL survey. NGC 6357 is a diffuse nebula containing the open cluster Pismis 24, home to several very massive stars. NGC 6334 is an emission nebula also known as the “Cat’s Paw Nebula”. In this image,...
Messier 87 in the Virgo Cluster
This deep image of the Virgo Cluster obtained by Chris Mihos and his colleagues using the Burrell Schmidt telescope shows the diffuse light between the galaxies belonging to the cluster. North is up, east to the left. The dark spots indicate where bright foreground stars were removed from the...
The Trifid Nebula (full frame)
The massive star factory known as the Trifid Nebula was captured in all its glory with the Wide-Field Imager camera attached to the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in northern Chile. So named for the dark dust bands that trisect its glowing heart, the Trifid Nebula is...
The star GJ1214
GJ1214 is a star five times smaller than our Sun and three hundred times less bright. Located only 40 light-years away from us, it is found to be surrounded by a super-Earth planet whose interior is likely mostly made of water ice. The planet appears to be rather hot and surrounded by a thick...
The rim of RCW 86
Image of part of a stellar remnant whose explosion was recorded in 185 AD. By studying this remnant in detail, a team of astronomers was able to solve the mystery of the Milky Way’s super-efficient particle accelerators. The team shows that the shock wave visible in this area is very efficient...
Wide-field view of the Fornax Galaxy Cluster
The Fornax Galaxy Cluster is one of the closest such groupings beyond our own Local Group of galaxies. This visible light wide-field image of the cluster was created from photographs taken through red and blue filters and forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The field of view is...
A close look at Betelgeuse
Image of the supergiant star Betelgeuse obtained with the NACO adaptive optics instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The use of NACO combined with a so-called “lucky imaging” technique, allowed the astronomers to obtain the sharpest ever image of Betelgeuse, even with Earth’s turbulent,...
Spiral galaxy NGC 4945
Seen edge-on, observations of NGC 4945 suggest that this hive of stars is a spiral galaxy much like our own Milky Way, with swirling, luminous arms and a bar-shaped centre. Sites of active star formation, known as HII regions, are seen prominently in the image, appearing bright pink. These...
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