Seeing Through a Veil of Dust
The closest supernova of its kind to be observed in the last few decades has sparked a global observing campaign involving legions of instruments on the ground and in space, including NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
The Cigar Galaxy M82
This image shows M82, also known as the "Cigar galaxy," in infrared light, as observed by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope back in 2005.
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...
NGC 5139: Omega Centauri Widefield
The name "Omega Centauri" should hint that this particular cluster is quite special. As viewed from Earth, Omega Cen (as it is often called) is certainly one of the most dazzling of globular clusters that orbits our galaxy. Before the use of good telescopes (and optics) this cluster was known...
NGC 5371
This spiral galaxy is located in the constellation Canes Venatici. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 5754
These three galaxies are located more than 200 million lightyears away in the constellation Bootes. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
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 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...
NGC 4941
This barred spiral galaxy is located about 64 million lightyears away in the constellation Virgo. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
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 4935
This spiral galaxy is located in the constellation Coma Berenices. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
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 488
At an estimated distance of 90 million light years away NGC 488 is an intriguing galaxy despite its distance from us. This galaxy displays subtle and tightly wound blue spiral arms with a yellowish core. Astronomers that have recently observed this galaxy note that the stars in the disk are...
NGC 4559
This spiral galaxy is located in the direction of Coma Berenices. A type II supernova went off in this galaxy some time ago (SN 1941a). Several papers estimate its apparent magnitude was 13 and absolute magnitude to be around 15.7. From this astronomers would estimate this galaxy to be between...
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 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 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 4100
This spiral galaxy is located about 60 million lightyears away in the constellation Ursa Major. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
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...
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 3718
What a strange galaxy. There is not much information about this galaxy in the astronomical literature. This is a lenticular galaxy. It is probably part of the M81 group of galaxies. The ethereal glow from this galaxy is testament to the paucity of stars. These galaxies have a disk like a spiral...
NGC 3628
NGC 3628 is a remarkable galaxy since it is being disturbed in many ways. It is one member of a triple group of galaxies including M65 and M66 in Leo. The gravitational pull of these neighboring galaxies has most likely tipped the plane of NGC 3628 and made its central dust lane "wobbled" in...
NGC 3319
At a distance of 32 million light years, NGC 3319 is a relatively nearby galaxy. Much of the activity in this galaxy is resigned to the central bar- the rest of the galaxy is seemingly quiet (and *very* dim). A few star forming regions punctuate the ends of the bar and the bends in the spiral...
IC 4628 and IC 6321
The reddish nebulosity toward the right of the frame is IC 4628. The bright concentrated cluster in the lower left is NGC 6321. This entire region is north of Zeta Scorpii. By the unaided eye, this part of the sky looks like a spray of stars coming from the bend in the scorpion (beneath...
NGC 3344
This barred spiral galaxy is located about 22.5 million lightyears away in the constellation Leo Minor. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 6992: Veil Nebula Wide-field
These filaments of gas are a portion of a much larger bubble of expanding material generated by the explosion of a massive star. At an estimated distance of 2600 light years, this nebula's large angular extent on the sky indicates that it is an old remnant. By measuring both the size of the...
Van den Bergh 142 and IC 1396
IC 1396, also known as the Elephant Trunk Nebula, is another region of recent star formation. Many stars in this area are less than a couple hundred thousand years old - very young in the grand scheme of astronomy, where stars live to be billions of years old! The hot young stars are in the...
Van den Bergh 93
Curtains of gas and dust dramatically open here to reveal the inner region of this star-forming region. Unceremoniously named, bright star SAO 152320 shines with intense light in the center of this field. Clouds of gas glow strongly and dust shrinks quickly under its radiative prowess. This...
Stephanʼs Quintet
Great meaning and mystery dwell in a patch of sky no larger than a thumbtack held at arm's length. Nothing about this piece of sky has been easily understood ever since its discovery. Inhabited here is the great far-off maelstrom of Stephan's Quintet. The five galaxies in the center of this...
SH2-136
This image was featured as an APOD back in 2006. Below is the copied caption: "The dark nebula SH2-136 appears to be celebrating Halloween all of the time. The complex process of star formation create dust clouds of many shapes and sizes -- it is human perception that might identify a ghoulish...
NGC 7822
This emission region surrounds a cluster of young, hot stars that lies about 3000 lightyears distant. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 6822
At a distance of 1.7 million light years away, NGC 6822 is literally right around the corner. This galaxy is a dwarf with a mere 10 million stellar members in its ranks. Note the "bubble" of gas in the top right corner. This bubble was probably caused by stars that formed from their natal gas...
NGC 6914 Widefield
This emission and reflection nebula lies about 6000 lightyears away in the constellation Cygnus the Swan. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
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 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
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 5965
NGC 5965 is the edge-on spiral galaxy to the left, while the galaxy to the upper right is NGC 5963. Both located in the constellation Draco, NGC 5965 is about 150 million lightyears away and NGC 5963 is only around 40 million lightyears away. Back in 2006, these two galaxies made APOD. This...
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 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.
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 5985
NGC 5985 (face-on spiral, upper-right) and NGC 5982 (elliptical) are two of three galaxies in what is sometimes called the Draco Triplet. The three are about 100 million lightyears away from Earth. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor...
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 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 613
NGC 613 seems like a good southern counterpart to the more famous barred spiral galaxy, NGC 7479. Astronomers studying this galaxy are interested in the processes that take place along the bar of the galaxy. One recent paper suggests that this galaxy could have two bar-like structures in its...
SH2-71
SH2-71 is a complex bipolar planetary nebula. Its convoluted nature is probably due to the fact that the central star is a binary system. The overall luminosity of this nebula is over 1000 times that of our sun. The gases near the center are being pushed away from the central star are...
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.
Eye of the Galaxy
This finely detailed image shows the heart of NGC 1097, a barred spiral galaxy that lies about 48 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Fornax. This picture reveals the intricacy of the web of stars and dust at NGC 1097’s centre, with the long tendrils of dust picked out in a dark...
A Dorado’s Scale
This Image of the Week features a sky speckled with stars and galaxies. The most prominent galaxy, in the upper right quadrant of the image, is known as NGC 1703. It was observed using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), a high-performance camera installed by the US Department of Energy at the...
NGC 4361
This planetary nebula is located in the constellation Corvus. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope captured an infrared image of this object as well, which provides a nice comparison. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 2438
When you think of NGC 2438, think of stellar evolution and beauty! This glowing bubble of gas was cast off by a dying star several hundred thousand years ago. The sphere of gas is in the foreground (2900 light years away) of the young and energetic stars of M46 (a star cluster). Note that the...
NGC 7129
NGC 7129 is a star-forming region that contains many interesting features. Astronomers estimate that many of the bright stars shown here are younger than 1 million years old! These "baby" stars are very energetic and emit copious amounts of radiation that break apart (photodissociate) clouds of...
NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
In mother nature (here on the Earth), the energy spent by real irises to attract pollinators is impressive. Wonderful colors and details attract and assist nectar-seeking guests. While there isn't a biological imperative for the Iris Nebula shown here, its color and detail certainly does invite...
NGC 7000: The North America Nebula and the Pelican Nebula
The North America Nebula (NGC 7000), named for its resemblance to the North American Continent here on Earth, is located in the constellation of Cygnus. Most of the nebulosity shown here is in the foreground (superimposed) of the band of the Milky Way. The stars are very dense towards this...
NGC 6559
Few regions of nebulosity show the variety of color and detail that this small region around NGC 6559 does. At the left of this image wispy dark clouds hang delicately in the foreground of diffuse glowing hydrogen gas. These lead further toward a very bright, red arc of gas that seems to shield...
NGC 6520
This open cluster is located in the constellation Sagittarius, which looks toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 7538
This emission nebula is located about 9100 lightyears away from us in the constellation Cepheus. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 7635
This mysterious ball of gas is about half a degree from M52, in Cassiopeia. See NGC 2359-Thor's Helmet for more information on this type of object. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 7814
This fantastic edge-on spiral galaxy in Pegasus proves to be an interesting object when displayed in the way shown. First, the plane of the galaxy is slightly warped and twisted. NGC 7814 is one of a few bright galaxies that shows this feature in optical wavelengths. Second the number of...
30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula, in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)
This image of 30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula, in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) was taken with the Curtis Schmidt telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, as part of the Magellanic Cloud Emission Line Survey (MCELS) project. The Tarantula Nebula is a giant...
NGC 1275
This image shows a deep Hydrogen-alpha image of the brightest X-ray source in the sky, NGC1275, taken by the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, AZ, in 1999. The filaments emanating from this galaxy are produced through largely unknown mechanisms, but they...
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