NASA, ESA, CalTech, Arizona State U.
アメリカ航空宇宙局は、ハッブル宇宙望遠鏡が撮影した「これまでで最もカラフルな宇宙写真」を発表した。同時に、この写真はこれまで最も広範囲の宇宙をとらえた写真であり、これまでで最も壮観な写真でもある。
この写真は「ハッブル・ウルトラ・ディープ・フィールド」（HUDF）というプロジェクト。天空領域を撮影した、新たな画期的研究成果であるが、ただ単に美しい、というだけではない。
最新のハッブル宇宙望遠鏡からの画像に、およそ1万ほどの銀河が写っている。これはHUDFで紫外光分布を解析した結果である。星形成に関する我々の認識のギャップを埋める手助けにもなる。
これまでのHUDFのヴァージョンでは、近赤外光から可視光、それに遠紫外光 (UV) の波長を受光していたと、アラン・ボイルがNBCニュースのウェブサイトに記している。それに近紫外光は含まれていなかった。
紫外光が加われば、もっとはっきりと宇宙が見える。
それがこの素晴らしい画像だ! 2003年から2012年にかけて撮影された、ハッブル宇宙望遠鏡がとらえた841本の軌道の写真を近似的なカラーで編集して得られたこの新画像には、実に様々な大きさや形を持った、ざっと1万もの銀河が写っている。
「ありとあらゆる形状と大きさの銀河が見られる、と天文学者のフィル・プラットは「Slate」誌で述べた。多くは他の銀河との衝突で形がゆがみ、おのおのが大きな重力で引き合った結果、10の15乗kmの大きさにわたるキャンディー型の不思議な形状を作り上げた。青色銀河も数多く、活発に星が生み出されていることが分かるが、赤味のかなり強い銀河もあり、これらははるか遠くにあるため非常に長い時間をかけてその光が届いたのだろう。その真っ赤な銀河の数々がかなり小さな点にしか見えないことも、それらが非常に遠くにあることを示している。
天文学者エドウィン・ハッブルの名を戴いたこのハッブル宇宙望遠鏡はNASAと欧州宇宙機関の共同事業である。1990年に打ち上げられて以来、ため息の出るような素晴らしい成果を地球に送り続けている。
［English］
Images From NASA's Hubble Telescope
Hubble Captures View of 'Mystic Mountain'(01 of40)
Hubble\'s 20th anniversary image shows a mountain of dust and gas rising in the Carina Nebula. The top of a three-light-year tall pillar of cool hydrogen is being worn away by the radiation of nearby stars, while stars within the pillar unleash jets of gas that stream from the peaks.\r\nCredit: NASA, ESA, and M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)
ACS Image of NGC 5866(02 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)\r\nAcknowledgment: W. Keel (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa)
Giant "Twisters" in the Lagoon Nebula(03 of40)
Credit: A. Caulet (ST-ECF, ESA) and NASA
The Spirograph Nebula (IC 418)(04 of40)
Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)\r\nAcknowledgment: Dr. Raghvendra Sahai (JPL) and Dr. Arsen R. Hajian (USNO)\r\n
30 Doradus in Ultraviolet, Visible, and Red Light(05 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, F. Paresce (INAF-IASF, Bologna, Italy), R. O\'Connell (University of Virginia, Charlottesville), and the Wide Field Camera 3 Science Oversight Committee
The Ant Nebula (Menzel 3): Fiery Lobes Protrude From Dying, Sun-like Star(06 of40)
Image Credit: NASA, ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)\r\nAcknowledgment: R. Sahai (Jet Propulsion Lab) and B. Balick (University of Washington)\r\n
The Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392)(07 of40)
Credit: NASA, Andrew Fruchter and the ERO Team [Sylvia Baggett (STScI), Richard Hook (ST-ECF), Zoltan Levay (STScI)]
Dying Star HD 44179, the "Red Rectangle," Sculpts Rungs of Gas and Dust(08 of40)
Credit: NASA; ESA; Hans Van Winckel (Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium); and Martin Cohen (University of California, Berkeley)
Galaxy Triplet Arp 274(09 of40)
Arp 274 is a trio of galaxies. They appear to be partially overlapping in this image, but may be located at different distances.\r\nCredit: NASA, ESA, M. Livio and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Cassiopeia A: Colorful, Shredded Remains of Old Supernova(10 of40)
This youngest-known supernova remnant in our galaxy lies 10,000 light years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. The light from this exploding star first reached Earth in the 1600s.\r\nImage Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)\r\nAcknowledgment: R. Fesen (Dartmouth) and J. Morse (Univ. of Colorado)
Rainbow Image of the Egg Nebula(11 of40)
An onionskin-like structure of concentric dust shells surround a central, aging star. Twin beams of light radiate from the star and illuminate the usually invisible dust. Artificial colors show how light reflects off the particles and heads toward Earth.\r\nCredit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)\r\nAcknowledgment: W. Sparks (STScI) and R. Sahai (JPL)
Jet in Carina: WFC3 UVIS Full Field(12 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
Jet in Carina(13 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
Starburst Galaxy M82(14 of40)
Plumes of glowing hydrogen blast from the central nucleus of M82. The pale, star-like objects are clusters of tens to hundreds of thousands of stars.\r\nCredit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)\r\nAcknowledgment: J. Gallagher (University of Wisconsin), M. Mountain (STScI), and P. Puxley (National Science Foundation)
Picture Album: Hubble's Black and White View of the Universe(15 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)\r\nAcknowledgment: A. Nota (STScI/ESA)
The Eagle Has Risen: Stellar Spire in the Eagle Nebula(16 of40)
A billowing tower of gas and dust rises from the stellar nursery known as the Eagle Nebula. This small piece of the Eagle Nebula is 57 trillion miles long (91.7 trillion km).\r\nCredit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Ring of Hot Blue Stars Pinwheels Around Yellow Nucleus of Hoag's Object Galaxy(17 of40)
Image Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)\r\nAcknowledgment: Ray A. Lucas (STScI/AURA)\r\n
Nucleus of Galaxy Centaurus A(18 of40)
Credit: E.J. Schreier (STScI), and NASA
Saturn's Rings in Ultraviolet Light(19 of40)
Credit: NASA and E. Karkoschka (University of Arizona)
HST ACS/WFC Image of NGC 3021(20 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Riess (STScI/JHU)
NASA's Great Observatories Examine the Galactic Center Region(21 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, SSC, CXC, and STScI
Interacting Spiral Galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163(22 of40)
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI)\r\n
Combined X-Ray and Optical Images of the Crab Nebula(23 of40)
Credits for X-ray Image: NASA/CXC/ASU/J. Hester et al.\r\nCredits for Optical Image: NASA/HST/ASU/J. Hester et al.
Hubble's Sharpest View of the Orion Nebula(24 of40)
Thousands of stars are forming in the cloud of gas and dust known as the Orion nebula. More than 3,000 stars of various sizes appear in this image. Some of them have never been seen in visible light.\r\nCredit: NASA,ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team
Star-Forming Region S106(25 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
A String of 'Cosmic Pearls' Surrounds an Exploding Star(26 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, P. Challis and R. Kirshner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
A Perfect Storm of Turbulent Gases in the Omega/Swan Nebula (M17)(27 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA and J. Hester (ASU)
Three Moons Cast Shadows on Jupiter(28 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, and E. Karkoschka (University of Arizona)
The Helix Nebula: a Gaseous Envelope Expelled By a Dying Star(29 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, C.R. O\'Dell (Vanderbilt University), M. Meixner and P. McCullough (STScI)
"Light Echo" Illuminates Dust Around Supergiant Star V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon)(30 of40)
Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
The Cat's Eye Nebula: Dying Star Creates Fantasy-like Sculpture of Gas and Dust(31 of40)
The Cat\'s Eye Nebula, one of the first planetary nebulae discovered, also has one of the most complex forms known to this kind of nebula. Eleven rings, or shells, of gas make up the Cat\'s Eye.\r\nCredit: NASA, ESA, HEIC, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)\r\nAcknowledgment: R. Corradi (Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, Spain) and Z. Tsvetanov (NASA)
Optical and X-ray Composite Image of SNR 0509-67.5(32 of40)
Science Credit: NASA, ESA, and B. Schaefer and A. Pagnotta (Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge)\r\nImage Credit: NASA, ESA, CXC, SAO, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), and J. Hughes (Rutgers University)\r\n
Spiral Galaxy M74(33 of40)
Bright knots of glowing gas light up the arms of spiral galaxy M74, indicating a rich environment of star formation. Messier 74, also called NGC 628, is slightly smaller than our Milky Way.\r\nCredit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration\r\nAcknowledgment: R. Chandar (University of Toledo) and J. Miller (University of Michigan)
"X" Structure at Core of Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)(34 of40)
Credit: H. Ford (JHU/STScI), the Faint Object Spectrograph IDT, and NASA
Starburst Cluster Shows Celestial Fireworks(35 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, R. O\'Connell (University of Virginia), F. Paresce (National Institute for Astrophysics, Bologna, Italy), E. Young (Universities Space Research Association/Ames Research Center), the WFC3 Science Oversight Committee, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
A Giant Hubble Mosaic of the Crab Nebula(36 of40)
The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant, all that remains of a tremendous stellar explosion. Observers in China and Japan recorded the supernova nearly 1,000 years ago, in 1054.\r\nCredit: NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll (Arizona State University)
The Majestic Sombrero Galaxy (M104)(37 of40)
A brilliant white core is encircled by thick dust lanes in this spiral galaxy, seen edge-on. The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and 28 million light years from Earth.\r\nCredit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Gas Pillars in the Eagle Nebula (M16): Pillars of Creation in a Star-Forming Region(38 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, J. Hester and P. Scowen (Arizona State University)
A Galactic Spectacle(39 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, SAO, CXC, JPL-Caltech, and STScI\r\nAcknowledgment: J. DePasquale (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), and B. Whitmore (STScI)
Saturn's Double Light Show(40 of40)
Credit: NASA, ESA, and Jonathan Nichols (University of Leicester)
美しい宇宙写真集
織姫と彦星(01 of52)
中央上の明るい星がベガ（織姫）、左中央の明るい星がアルタイル（彦星）。左下のデネブと合わせた三角形が「夏の大三角」と名付けられている。 (credit:Getty Images)
こと座のベガ(02 of52)
こと座で最も明るく、七夕の伝説では織姫（おりひめ）として知られている。 (credit:Getty Images)
わし座のアルタイル(03 of52)
日本では七夕の伝説の「彦星（ひこぼし）」として知られている。 (credit:Getty Images)
こと座の星々(04 of52)
右上に見える最も明るい星がベガ。日本では七夕の伝説に登場する「織姫」として知られている。 (credit:Getty Images)
Summer triangle of stars(05 of52)
Summer triangle of stars (credit:Getty Images)
The constellations Delphinus, Vulpecula, Sagita and Aquila in the northern sky.(06 of52)
The constellations Delphinus, Vulpecula, Sagita and Aquila in the northern sky. (credit:Getty Images)
Aquila constellation. The Milky Way running through the constellation Aquila, the eagle. North is at top. The bright star in the center is Altair (Alpha Aquilae). This star is flanked by Tarazed (Gamm(07 of52)
Aquila constellation. The Milky Way running through the constellation Aquila, the eagle. North is at top. The bright star in the center is Altair (Alpha Aquilae). This star is flanked by Tarazed (Gamma Aquilae, above) and Alshain (Beta Aquilae, below). Alt (credit:Getty Images)
The silhouette of the space shuttle Endeavour, Feb 9, 2010(08 of52)
The silhouette of the space shuttle Endeavour appears over Earth\'s colorful horizon in this image photographed by an Expedition 22 crew member on Feb. 9, 2010. (credit:NASA)
Flying V Galaxy(09 of52)
\"These tidal tails are thin, elongated streams of gas, dust and stars that extend away from a galaxy into space. They occur when galaxies gravitationally interact with one another, and material is sheared from the outer edges of each body and flung out into space in opposite directions, forming two tails. They almost always appear curved, so when they are seen to be relatively straight, as in this image, it is clear that we are viewing the galaxies side-on.\" (credit:Nasa)
Stars Brewing in Cygnus X(10 of52)
A bubbling cauldron of star birth is highlighted in this image from NASA\'s Spitzer Space Telescope. Infrared light that we can\'t see with our eyes has been color-coded, such that the shortest wavelengths are shown in blue and the longest in red. The middle wavelength range is green.\n\nMassive stars have blown bubbles, or cavities, in the dust and gas--a violent process that triggers both the death and birth of stars. The brightest, yellow-white regions are warm centers of star formation. The green shows tendrils of dust, and red indicates other types of dust that may be cooler, in addition to ionized gas from nearby massive stars. (credit:NASA)
Dusty Space Cloud(11 of52)
This image shows the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy in infrared light as seen by the Herschel Space Observatory, a European Space Agency-led mission with important NASA contributions, and NASA\'s Spitzer Space Telescope. In the instruments\' combined data, this nearby dwarf galaxy looks like a fiery, circular explosion. Rather than fire, however, those ribbons are actually giant ripples of dust spanning tens or hundreds of light-years. Significant fields of star formation are noticeable in the center, just left of center and at right. The brightest center-left region is called 30 Doradus, or the Tarantula Nebula, for its appearance in visible light. (credit:NASA)
Dunes in Noachis Terra Region of Mars(12 of52)
This enhanced-color image shows sand dunes trapped in an impact crater in Noachis Terra, Mars. Dunes and sand ripples of various shapes and sizes display the natural beauty created by physical processes. The area covered in the image is about six-tenths of a mile (1 kilometer) across.\n\nSand dunes are among the most widespread wind-formed features on Mars. Their distribution and shapes are affected by changes in wind direction and wind strength. Patterns of dune erosion and deposition provide insight into the sedimentary history of the surrounding terrain. (credit:NASA)
Viewing the South Pole of Vesta(13 of52)
This image obtained by the framing camera on NASA\'s Dawn spacecraft shows the south pole of the giant asteroid Vesta.\n\nScientists are discussing whether the circular structure that covers most of this image originated by a collision with another asteroid, or by internal processes early in the asteroid\'s history. Images in higher resolution from Dawn\'s lowered orbit might help answer that question.\n\nThe image was recorded with the framing camera aboard NASA\'s Dawn spacecraft from a distance of about 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometers). The image resolution is about 260 meters per pixel.\n\n (credit:NASA)
In, Around, Beyond Rings(14 of52)
A quartet of Saturn\'s moons, from tiny to huge, surround and are embedded within the planet\'s rings in this Cassini composition.\n\nSaturn\'s largest moon, Titan, is in the background of the image, and the moon\'s north polar hood is clearly visible. See PIA08137 to learn more about that feature on Titan (3,200 miles, or 5,150 kilometers across). Next, the wispy terrain on the trailing hemisphere of Dione (698 miles, or 1,123 kilometers across) can be seen on that moon which appears just above the rings at the center of the image. See PIA10560 and PIA06163 to learn more about Dione\'s wisps. Saturn\'s small moon Pandora (50 miles, or 81 kilometers across) orbits beyond the rings on the right of the image. Finally, Pan (17 miles, or 28 kilometers across) can be seen in the Encke Gap of the A ring on the left of the image.\n\nThe image was taken in visible blue light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 17, 2011. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million miles (2.1 million kilometers) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 27 degrees. Image scale is 8 miles (13 kilometers) per pixel on Dione. (credit:NASA)
Active Galaxy Centaurus A(15 of52)
Resembling looming rain clouds on a stormy day, dark lanes of dust crisscross the giant elliptical galaxy Centaurus A. \n\nHubble\'s panchromatic vision, stretching from ultraviolet through near-infrared wavelengths, reveals the vibrant glow of young, blue star clusters and a glimpse into regions normally obscured by the dust. (NASA / ESA / Hubble Heritage)
Ring of Fire(16 of52)
This composite image shows the central region of the spiral galaxy NGC 4151. X-rays (blue) from the Chandra X-ray Observatory are combined with optical data (yellow) showing positively charged hydrogen (H II) from observations with the 1-meter Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope on La Palma. The red ring shows neutral hydrogen detected by radio observations with the NSF\'s Very Large Array. This neutral hydrogen is part of a structure near the center of NGC 4151 that has been distorted by gravitational interactions with the rest of the galaxy, and includes material falling towards the center of the galaxy. The yellow blobs around the red ellipse are regions where star formation has recently occurred. (NASA / CXC / CfA / J. Wang)
Festival of Lights(17 of52)
WISE, NASA\'s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, has a new view of Barnard 3, or IRAS Ring G159.6-18.5, that is awash in bright green and red dust clouds. Interstellar clouds like these are stellar nurseries, where baby stars are being born. (UCLA / JPL-Caltech / NASA)\n (credit:UCLA / JPL-Caltech / NASA)
Pacman Nebula(18 of52)
In visible light, the star-forming cloud known as NGC 281 in the constellation of Cassiopeia appears to be chomping through the cosmos, earning it the nickname the \"Pacman\" nebula after the famous Pac-Man video game of the 1980s. (credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA )
Messier 78(19 of52)
Messier 78 Nebula brings into focus a murky region of star formation. NASA\'s Spitzer Space Telescope exposes the depths of this dusty nebula with its infrared vision, showing stellar infants that are lost behind dark clouds when viewed in visible light. Messier 78 is easily seen in small telescopes in the constellation of Orion (credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Mercury Messenger(20 of52)
At 5:20 a.m. EDT on March 29,2011, the Messenger probe captured this historic image of Mercury. The image is the first ever obtained from a spacecraft in orbit of the solar system\'s innermost planet. (NASA) (credit:NASA)
Celestial Shamrock(21 of52)
This image from NASA\'s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, features a region of star birth wrapped in a blanket of dust, colored green in this infrared view. Designated as LBN 149.02-00.13, this interstellar cloud is made up of a shell of ionized gas surrounding a void with an extremely hot, bright star in the middle. (UCLA / JPL-Caltech / NASA) (credit:UCLA / JPL-Caltech / NASA)
Cassini of Saturn/Titan(22 of52)
Saturn\'s largest moon, Titan, center, is 3,200 miles in diameter. The smaller moon Enceladus, far right, just over 300 miles across, appears just below the rings. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera at a distance of approximately 524,000 miles from Titan. (SSI / JPL / NASA) (credit:SSI / JPL / NASA)
Discovery from the ISS(23 of52)
The space shuttle Discovery is seen from the International Space Station as the two orbital spacecraft accomplish their relative separation. During a post undocking fly-around, the crew of each vessel photographed the opposing craft. (NASA) (credit:NASA)
NGC 2841(24 of52)
This NASA image shows what the Hubble Space Telescope revealed in a majestic disk of stars and dust lanes in the spiral galaxy NGC 2841. A bright cusp of starlight marks the galaxy\'s center. Spiraling outward are dust lanes that are silhouetted against the population of whitish middle-aged stars. Much younger blue stars trace the spiral arms. NGC 2841 lies 46 million light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major (The Great Bear). (Hubble Heritage / ESA / NASA) (credit:Hubble Heritage / ESA / NASA)
Tempel 1(25 of52)
This image obtained by NASA\'s Stardust spacecraft shows Comet Tempel 1 at 11:39 p.m. EST on Feb. 14, 2011. The NASA spacecraft\'s flyby of the comet showed erosion on Tempel 1\'s surface since it skimmed by the sun in 2005 and revealed the first clear pictures of the crater made by a Deep Impact probe. (Cornell / JPL-Caltech / NASA) (credit:Cornell / JPL-Caltech / NASA)
Sun and Flares(26 of52)
A pair of active regions on the sun were captured in extreme ultraviolet light from the Solar Dynamic Observatory spacecraft over a three-day period. The magnetic field lines above the regions produced fluttering arcs waving above them, as well as a couple of flares. Another pair of smaller active regions emerges and trails behind the larger ones. (Solar Dynamics Observatory / NASA) (credit:Solar Dynamics Observatory / NASA)
North America Nebula -- Feb 16, 2011(27 of52)
This view of the North America nebula combines both visible and infrared light observations, taken by the Digitized Sky Survey and NASA\'s Spitzer Space Telescope, respectively, into a single vivid picture. The nebula is named after its resemblance to the North American continent in visible light, which in this image is represented in blue hues. Infrared light, displayed here in red and green, can penetrate deep into the dust, revealing multitudes of hidden stars and dusty clouds. (credit:NASA / JPL-CalTech)
Sun Eruptions -- Jan. 28, 2011(28 of52)
This still caught the action in freeze-frame splendor when the sun popped off two events at once. A filament, left, became unstable and erupted, while an M-1 flare and a coronal mass ejection, right, blasted into space. Neither event was headed toward Earth. (credit:Solar Dynamics Observatory / NASA)
M51 -- obtained Jan. 19, 2011(29 of52)
This image shows a dramatic view of the spiral galaxy M51, dubbed the Whirlpool Galaxy. Seen in near-infrared light, most of the starlight has been removed, revealing the Whirlpool\'s skeletal dust structure. This image is the sharpest view of the dense dust in M51. The narrow lanes of dust revealed by Hubble reflect the galaxy\'s moniker, the Whirlpool Galaxy, as if they were swirling toward the galaxy\'s core. (credit: Hubble Heritage Team / ESA / NASA)
Giant Supernova -- released on Jan. 14, 2011(30 of52)
While searching the skies for black holes using NASA\'s Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers discovered a giant supernova that was smothered in its own dust in this image released on Jan. 14. In this artist\'s rendering, an outer shell of gas and dust -- which erupted from the star hundreds of years ago -- obscures the supernova within. This event in a distant galaxy hints at one possible future for the brightest star system in our own Milky Way. (credit:R. Hurt, JPL-Caltech / NASA)
Mars' moons Phobos (large moon) and Deimos, released Dec. 11(31 of52)
Mars\' two moons have been photographed in the same frame for the first time. The European Space Agency\'s Mars Express orbiter snapped this image, which was released Dec. 11, 2009. The larger moon is Phobos. The much smaller one is Deimos. (credit:ESA)
Central Milky Way Galaxy; image released on Nov. 10, 2009(32 of52)
This is one of the most detailed images to date of the heart of the Milky Way. The galaxy\'s center is within the white spot near the right edge of the photo. NASA released the image Nov. 10 to mark the 400th anniversary of the telescope. It is a composite of images from three observatories: the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. (credit:STScI / CXC / SSC / ESA / NASA)
NGC 2623, the result of a galactic collision, added Oct. 13(33 of52)
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows an object known as both NGC 2623 and Arp 243, which was formed by a collision of two galaxies. The galaxies\' cores have merged into one; the tails streaming from the object are full of young stars. NGC 2623 is about 250 million light-years away in the constellation of Cancer. (credit:NASA)
Barnard's Galaxy, added Oct. 15, 2009(34 of52)
This portrait of Barnard\'s Galaxy, one of the Milky Way\'s closest neighbors, was taken by a telescope at the European Southern Observatory in La Silla, Chile. The red features in the photo are nebulae where new stars are being born. The galaxy has about 10 million stars; the Milky Way has an estimated 400 billion. (credit:ESO)
Saturn during equinox in August 2009(35 of52)
The Cassini spacecraft became the first to photograph an equinox on Saturn, a 15-year event that took place Aug. 11. This photo is a composite of images that Cassini shot over eight hours. New equinox images of the planet show strange formations in its rings and suggest that in some places, the rings are much thicker than expected. (credit:Space Science Institute / JPL / NASA)
Shadows in Saturn's A ring, August 2009(36 of52)
Clumps of debris cast shadows that are visible in the middle of this image of Saturn\'s A ring. The shadows suggest that the clumps are about 2,000 feet tall. Scientists have believed for years that the rings were about 30 feet thick, but based on the new images, scientists now think that they\'re more than 2 miles deep in some spots. \"Isn\'t that the most outrageous thing you could imagine? It truly is like something out of science fiction,\" said Carolyn Porco, leader of the Cassini imaging team. (credit:Space Science Institute / JPL / NASA)
Jupiter's Scar, July 25, 2009(37 of52)
A new photo released in July from the Hubble Space Telescope is the clearest yet of what astronomers are calling a scar on the surface of Jupiter. An object, possibly a comet, struck the planet recently, creating the strange dark patch. It happened on the 15th anniversary of another comet strike. (credit:H. Hammel, Jupiter Impact Team / ESA / NASA)
Kohoutek 4-55 nebula, photographed May 4, 2009(38 of52)
This planetary nebula, named Kohoutek 4-55, was photographed May 4 by the Hubble Space Telescope\'s Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. The nebula, dubbed a \"giant eye,\" contains the outer layers of a red giant star that died. The camera, which is the size of a baby grand piano, has captured several memorable images since it was installed in 1993. (credit:JPL / ESA / NASA)
Black hole light show, added April 14(39 of52)
In this sequence of photos released in April, a jet of gas spews from a massive black hole in the center of the M87 galaxy. The gas fades and brightens, with a peak that even outshines the galaxy\'s core. The outburst is coming from a blob of matter, dubbed HST-1, and scientists are so far at a loss to explain its weird behavior. (credit:J. Madrid, McMaster University / ESA / NASA)
Galaxy Triplet ARP 274, Added April 6(40 of52)
This photo was snapped by the Hubble Space Telescope after winning a public competition to determine what the next space portrait should be. It shows Arp 274, a system of three galaxies -- two larger ones on the right, and a smaller and less intact one on the far left. (credit:M. Livio, Hubble Heritage Team / ESA / NASA)
Red Rectangle nebula added Feb. 10, 2009(41 of52)
Our solar system is in the middle of a cosmic dust storm, and some astronomers said they\'ve zeroed in on the possible source: the Red Rectangle nebula, which is 2,300 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros. A double star system there is spewing the dust, according to findings announced in February. (credit:Van Winckel, M. Cohen, H. Bond, T. Gull, ESA / NASA)
Galactic collision, Oct. 30, 2008(42 of52)
After transmission problems on the Hubble Telescope weren fixed, NASA in October 2008 provided this undated photograph showing the aftermath of galaxies colliding. In the pair known as Arp 147, a reddish-colored galaxy has passed through an O-shaped galaxy glowing blue. (credit:NASA)
Mercury Volcanoes(43 of52)
Photographs taken of Mercury by the spacecraft Messenger in January 2008 were analyzed in the journal Science seven months later. Images like the one above show that volcanic activity played a part in forming plains on the planet. (credit:Arizona State University / JHUAP / NASA)
The Helix nebula(44 of52)
Feel like you are being watched? This infrared image from NASA\'s Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Helix nebula, a cosmic starlet notable for its vivid colors and eerie resemblance to a giant eye. (credit: JPL-Caltech / NASA)
A death star galaxy(45 of52)
Even galaxies get bullied. Here, a so-called \"death star galaxy\" blasts a nearby galaxy with a jet of energy. Scientists said that if this happened in the Milky Way, it would likely destroy all life on Earth. (credit:NASA)
Crab Nebula(46 of52)
In 2005, NASA\'s Hubble Telescope captured this image of the Crab Nebula, a six-light-year-wide expanding remnant of a star\'s supernova explosion. Japanese and Chinese astronomers witnessed this violent event in 1054. (credit:NASA / Getty Images)
Two Satellites given to NASA(47 of52)
US National Reconnaissance Office unexpectedly transferred control of two Hubble-quality satellites to NASA in June of 2012. (credit:NASA)
Apollo 17 at Shorty Crater(48 of52)
Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt roam the Moon\'s surface in December 1972. (credit:NASA)
The Great Galaxy in Andromeda, M31(49 of52)
Elder One:
Taken with 10\" Newtonian in central BC, Canada
Taken with 10\" Newtonian in central BC, Canada
Accretion Disk Showing Rotations(50 of52)
Elyas Fraenkel Isaacs:
Gravitational density causes rotation. The resultant forces create matter streams which eventually coalesce to stellar bodies.
Gravitational density causes rotation. The resultant forces create matter streams which eventually coalesce to stellar bodies.
Venusian Transit, 6-5-12, Sunset(51 of52)
sw33tman:
Photo by Marty Swinney. 800mm (35mm equivalent 400mm), 1/6000 @ f22
Photo by Marty Swinney. 800mm (35mm equivalent 400mm), 1/6000 @ f22
Tarantula Nebula(52 of52)
ApolloStar:
Unbelievable Beauty in Deep Space
Unbelievable Beauty in Deep Space
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