The science
Space full of unexpected surprises and incredibly beautiful landscapes that today astronomers can capture in photographs. Sometimes space or land spaceships do this unusual photos what scientists still They've been wondering for a long time what it is.
Space photos help make amazing discoveries, see the details of the planets and their satellites, draw conclusions regarding them physical properties, determine the distance to objects and much more.
1) Glowing gas of the Omega Nebula . This nebula, open Jean Philippe de Chaizeau in 1775, located in the area constellation Sagittarius Milky Way galaxy. The distance to us from this nebula is approximately 5-6 thousand light years, and in diameter it reaches 15 light years. Photo taken with a special digital camera during the project Digitized Sky Survey 2.
New images of Mars
2) Strange lumps on Mars . This photo was taken by the panchromatic context camera of the automatic interplanetary station Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which explores Mars.
Visible in the photo strange formations, which formed on lava flows interacting with water on the surface. Lava, flowing down the slope, encircled the bases of the mounds, then swelled. Lava Swelling- a process in which the liquid layer, which appears under the hardening layer of liquid lava, lifts the surface slightly, forming such a relief.
These formations are located on the Martian plain Amazonis Planitia- a huge territory that is covered with frozen lava. The plain is also covered a thin layer of reddish dust, which slides down steep slopes, forming dark stripes.
Planet Mercury (photo)
3) Beautiful colors of Mercury . This colorful image of Mercury was created by combining large number images taken by NASA's interplanetary station "Messenger" for a year of work in Mercury orbit.
Of course it is not the real colors of the planet closest to the Sun, but the colorful image reveals the chemical, mineralogical and physical differences in Mercury's landscape.
4) Space lobster . This image was taken by the VISTA telescope European Southern Observatory. It depicts a cosmic landscape, including a huge glowing cloud of gas and dust, which surrounds young stars.
This infrared image shows the nebula NGC 6357 in the constellation Scorpion, which is presented in a new light. The photo was taken during the project Via Láctea. Scientists are currently scanning the Milky Way in an attempt to map the more detailed structure of our galaxy and explain how it was formed.
Mysterious mountain of the Carina Nebula
5) Mysterious mountain . The image shows a mountain of dust and gas rising from the Carina Nebula. Top part vertical column of cooled hydrogen, which has a height of about 3 light years, is carried away by radiation from nearby stars. Stars located in the area of the pillars release jets of gas that can be seen at the tops.
Traces of water on Mars
6) Traces of an ancient water flow on Mars . This is a high resolution photo that was taken January 13, 2013 by using spacecraft European Space Agency Mars Express, offers to see the surface of the Red Planet in real colors. This is a shot of the area southeast of the plain Amenthes Planum and north of the plain Hesperia planum.
Visible in the photo craters, lava channels and valley, along which liquid water probably once flowed. The valley and crater floors are covered in dark, wind-blown deposits.
7) Dark space gecko . The picture was taken with a ground-based 2.2-meter telescope European Southern Observatory MPG/ESO in Chile. The photo shows a bright star cluster NGC 6520 and its neighbor - a strangely shaped dark cloud Barnard 86.
This cosmic couple is surrounded by millions of luminous stars in the brightest part of the Milky Way. The area is so filled with stars that you can hardly see the dark background of the sky behind them.
Star formation (photo)
8) Star Education Center . Several generations of stars are shown in an infrared image taken by NASA's space telescope. "Spitzer". In this smoky area known as W5, new stars are formed.
The oldest stars can be seen as blue bright dots. Younger stars highlight pinkish glow. In brighter areas, new stars form. Heated dust is shown in red, and green color indicates dense clouds.
Unusual nebula (photo)
9) Valentine's Day Nebula . This is an image of a planetary nebula, which may remind some of rosebud, was obtained using a telescope Kitt Peak National Observatory in USA.
Sh2-174- an unusual ancient nebula. It was formed during the explosion of a low-mass star at the end of its life. What remains of the star is its center - white dwarf.
Usually white dwarfs are located very close to the center, but in the case of this nebula, its the white dwarf is located on the right. This asymmetry is associated with the interaction of the nebula with the environment that surrounds it.
10) Heart of the Sun . In honor of the recent Valentine's Day, another unusual phenomenon appeared in the sky. More precisely it was done photo of an unusual solar flare, which is depicted in the photo in the shape of a heart.
Saturn's satellite (photo)
11) Mimas - Death Star . A photograph of Saturn's moon Mimas was taken spaceship NASA "Cassini" while it approaches the object at the closest distance. This satellite is something looks like the Death Star – space station from a fantasy saga "Star Wars".
Herschel Crater has a diameter 130 kilometers and covers most of right side satellite in the photo. Scientists continue to explore this impact crater and its surrounding areas.
Photos were taken February 13, 2010 from a distance 9.5 thousand kilometers, and then, like a mosaic, assembled into one clearer and more detailed photo.
12) Galactic duo . These two galaxies, shown in the same photo, have absolutely different shapes. Galaxy NGC 2964 is a symmetrical spiral, and the galaxy NGC 2968(top right) is a galaxy that has a fairly close interaction with another small galaxy.
13) Mercury colored crater . Although Mercury does not boast a particularly colorful surface, some areas on it still stand out with contrasting colors. The pictures were taken during the spacecraft mission "Messenger".
Halley's Comet (photo)
14) Halley's Comet in 1986 . This famous historical photo of the comet as it approached Earth last time, was made 27 years ago. The photo clearly shows how the Milky Way is illuminated on the right by a flying comet.
15) Strange hill on Mars . This image shows a strange, spiky formation near the Red Planet's South Pole. The surface of the hill appears to be layered and shows signs of erosion. Its height is estimated 20-30 meters. The appearance of dark spots and stripes on the hill is associated with the seasonal thawing of a layer of dry ice (carbon dioxide).
Orion Nebula (photo)
16) Orion's beautiful veil . This beautiful image includes cosmic clouds and stellar wind around the star LL Orionis, which interacts with the stream Orion Nebula. The star LL Orionis produces winds that are stronger than those of our own middle-aged star, the Sun.
Galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici (photo)
17) Spiral galaxy Messier 106 in the constellation Canes Venatici . NASA Space Telescope "Hubble" with the participation of an amateur astronomer, made one of the most best pictures spiral galaxy Messier 106.
Located at a distance of about 20 million light years away, which is not that far away by cosmic standards, this galaxy is one of the brightest galaxies, and also one of the closest to us.
18) Starburst galaxy . Galaxy Messier 82 or Galaxy Cigar located at a distance from us 12 million light years in the constellation Big Dipper. The formation of new stars occurs quite quickly in it, which puts it at a certain phase in the evolution of galaxies, according to scientists.
Because the Cigar Galaxy is experiencing intense star formation, it 5 times brighter than our Milky Way. This photo was taken Mount Lemmon Observatory(USA) and required a holding time of 28 hours.
19) Ghost Nebula . This photo was taken using a 4 meter telescope (Arizona, USA). The object, called vdB 141, is a reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus.
Several stars can be seen in the nebula region. Their light gives the nebula an unattractive yellowish-brown color. Photo taken August 28, 2009.
20) Powerful hurricane of Saturn . This colorful photo taken by NASA "Cassini", depicts Saturn's strong northern storm, which at that moment reached its greatest power. The contrast of the image has been increased to show troubled areas (in white) that stand out from other details. The photo was taken March 6, 2011.
Photo of the Earth from the Moon
21) Earth from the Moon . Being on the surface of the Moon, our planet will look exactly like this. From this angle, the Earth too phases will be noticeable: Part of the planet will be in shadow, and part will be illuminated by sunlight.
Andromeda Galaxy
22) New images of Andromeda . In a new image of the Andromeda Galaxy, obtained using Herschel Space Observatory, the bright streaks where new stars are forming are visible in especially detail.
The Andromeda Galaxy or M31 is the closest large galaxy to our Milky Way. It is located at a distance of about 2.5 million years, and is therefore an excellent object for studying the formation of new stars and the evolution of galaxies.
23) Star cradle of the constellation Unicorn . This image was taken using a 4-meter telescope Inter-American Observatory of Cerro Tololo in Chile January 11, 2012. The image shows part of the Unicorn R2 molecular cloud. This is a site of intense new star formation, especially in the red nebula region just below the center of the image.
Satellite of Uranus (photo)
24) Ariel's scarred face . This image of Uranus's moon Ariel is made up of 4 different images taken by the spacecraft. "Voyager 2". The pictures were taken January 24, 1986 from a distance 130 thousand kilometers from the object.
Ariel has a diameter about 1200 kilometers, most of its surface is covered with craters with a diameter of 5 to 10 kilometers. In addition to craters, the image shows valleys and faults in the form of long stripes, so the landscape of the object is very heterogeneous.
25) Spring "fans" on Mars . IN high latitudes Every winter, carbon dioxide condenses from the atmosphere of Mars and accumulates on its surface, forming seasonal polar ice caps. In the spring, the sun begins to heat the surface more intensely and the heat passes through these translucent layers of dry ice, heating the soil underneath.
Dry ice evaporates, immediately turning into gas, bypassing the liquid phase. If the pressure is high enough, the ice cracks and gas escapes from the cracks, forming "fans". These dark "fans" are small fragments of material that are carried away by the gas escaping from the cracks.
Galactic merger
26) Stefan Quintet . This group is from 5 galaxies in the constellation Pegasus, located in 280 million light years from the earth. Four of the five galaxies are undergoing a violent merger phase and will crash into each other, eventually forming a single galaxy.
The central blue galaxy appears to be part of this group, but this is an illusion. This galaxy is much closer to us - at a distance only 40 million light years. The image was obtained by researchers Mount Lemmon Observatory(USA).
27) Soap Bubble Nebula . This planetary nebula was discovered by an amateur astronomer Dave Jurasevich July 6, 2008 in the constellation Swan. The picture was taken with a 4-meter telescope Mayall National Observatory Kitt Peak V June 2009. This nebula was part of another diffuse nebula, and it is also quite faint, so it was hidden from the eyes of astronomers for a long time.
Sunset on Mars – photo from the surface of Mars
28) Sunset on Mars. May 19, 2005 NASA Mars rover MER-A Spirit I took this amazing photo of the sunset while being on the edge of Gusev crater. The solar disk, as you can see, is slightly smaller than the disk that is visible from Earth.
29) Hypergiant star Eta Carinae . In this incredibly detailed image taken by NASA's space telescope "Hubble", you can see huge clouds of gas and dust from the giant star Eta of Kiel. This star is located at a distance from us more than 8 thousand light years, A general structure comparable in width to our solar system.
Near 150 years ago a supernova explosion was observed. Eta Carinae became the second most luminous star after Sirius, but quickly faded away and ceased to be visible to the naked eye.
30) Polar Ring Galaxy . Amazing Galaxy NGC 660 is the result of the merger of two different galaxies. It is located at a distance 44 million light years from us in the constellation Pisces. On January 7, astronomers announced that this galaxy has powerful flash, which is most likely the result of the massive black hole at its center.
For 24 years now, the Hubble Space Telescope has been in orbit around the Earth, thanks to which scientists have made many discoveries and helped us better understand the Universe. However, Hubble telescope photographs are not only a help for scientific researchers, but also a pleasure for lovers of space and its secrets. We must admit that the Universe looks amazing in the telescope images. See the latest photos from the Hubble Telescope.
12 PHOTOS
1. Galaxy NGC 4526.
Behind the soulless name of NGC 4526 lies a small galaxy located in the so-called Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. This refers to the constellation Virgo. “The black dust belt, combined with the clear glow of the galaxy, creates a so-called halo effect in the dark void of space,” this is how the image was described on the website of the European Space Agency (ESA). The photo was taken on October 20, 2014. (Photo: ESA).
2. Large Magellanic Cloud. The image shows only part of the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way. It is visible from Earth, but unfortunately does not look as impressive as in photographs from the Hubble telescope, which “showed people amazing swirling clouds of gas and shining stars,” ESA writes. The photo was taken on October 13. (Photo: ESA).
3. Galaxy NGC 4206. Another galaxy from the constellation Virgo. You see in the image there are many small dots around the central part of the galaxy blue color? These are stars being born. Amazing, right? The photo was taken on October 6. (Photo: ESA).
4. Star AG Carinae. This star in the constellation Carina is at the final stage of evolution of absolute brightness. It is millions of times brighter than the Sun. The Hubble Space Telescope photographed it on September 29. (Photo: ESA).
5. Galaxy NGC 7793. NGC 7793 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Sculptor, which is located 13 million light-years from Earth. The photo was taken on September 22. (Photo: ESA).
6. Galaxy NGC 6872. NGC 6872 is located in the constellation Pavo, which is located at the edge of the Milky Way. Its unusual shape is caused by the influence of a smaller galaxy, IC 4970, which is visible directly above it in the image. These galaxies are located at a distance of 300 million light years from Earth. Hubble photographed them on September 15. (Photo: ESA).
7. Galactic anomaly IC 55. This image taken on September 8 shows a very unusual galaxy, IC 55, with anomalies: bright blue starbursts and an irregular shape. It resembles a delicate cloud, but is actually made of gas and dust from which new stars are born. (Photo: ESA).
8. Galaxy PGC 54493. This beautiful spiral galaxy is located in the constellation Serpens. It was studied by astronomers as an example of weak gravitational lensing, a physical phenomenon associated with the bending of light rays by a gravitational field. The photo was taken on September 1st. (Photo: ESA).
9. Object SSTC2D J033038.2 + 303212. Giving such a name to an object is certainly something. Behind the incomprehensible and long numerical name lies the so-called “young stellar object” or, in simple terms, a nascent star. Amazingly, this nascent star is surrounded by a glowing spiral cloud containing the material from which it will be built. The photo was taken on August 25. (Photo: ESA).
10. Several colorful galaxies different colors and shapes. The Hubble Space Telescope photographed them on August 11. (Photo: ESA). 
11. Globular star cluster IC 4499. Globular clusters are made up of old, gravitationally bound stars that move around their host galaxy. Such clusters usually consist of large quantity stars: from one hundred thousand to a million. The photo was taken on August 4. (Photo: ESA).
12. Galaxy NGC 3501. This thin, glowing, accelerating galaxy is racing toward another galaxy, NGC 3507. Photo taken July 21. (Photo: ESA).
You can see amazing photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope at Spacetelescope.org.
"Star Power"
This image of the Horsehead Nebula was taken in infrared using the Hubble Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3. It must be said that nebulae are one of the most “cloudy” objects in observational astronomy, and this photograph is striking in its clarity. The fact is that Hubble is able to see through clouds of interstellar gas and dust. Of course, the telescope images we are used to admiring are a composite of several photographs - this one, for example, was taken from four images.
The Horsehead Nebula is located in the constellation Orion and is a type of so-called dark nebula - interstellar clouds so dense that they absorb visible light from other nebulae or stars behind them. The Horsehead Nebula is about 3.5 light years in diameter.
"Heavenly Wings"
What we see as “wings” are actually gas released as a “goodbye” by an exceptionally hot dying star. The star glows brightly in ultraviolet light, but is hidden from direct observation by a dense ring of dust. Collectively called the Butterfly Nebula, or NGC 6302, it is located in the constellation Scorpius. However, it is better to admire the “Butterfly” from afar (fortunately, the distance from it to us is 4 thousand light years): the surface temperature of this nebula is 250 thousand degrees Celsius.
Butterfly Nebula / ©NASA
"Take off your hat"
The Sombrero spiral galaxy (M104) is located in the constellation Virgo at a distance of 28 million light years from us. Despite this, it is clearly visible from Earth. Recent studies, however, have shown that Sombrero is not one galaxy, but two: a flat spiral galaxy is located inside an elliptical one. In addition to its amazing shape, the Sombrero is also known for the supposed presence in its center of a supermassive black hole with a mass of 1 billion solar masses. Scientists made this conclusion by measuring the frantic rotation speed of stars near the center, as well as the strong X-ray radiation emanating from this twin galaxy.
Sombrero Galaxy / ©NASA
"Unsurpassed beauty"
This photo is considered business card Hubble telescope. In this composite image, we see the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1300, which lies about 70 million light-years away in the constellation Eridanus. The size of the galaxy itself is 110 thousand light years - it is slightly larger than our Milky Way, which, as is known, has a diameter of about 100 thousand light years and which also belongs to the type of barred spiral galaxies. A special feature of NGC 1300 is the absence of an active galactic nucleus, which may indicate that there is not a sufficiently massive black hole at its center, or a lack of accretion.
This image, taken in September 2004, is one of the largest ever taken by the Hubble Telescope. Which is not at all surprising, since it shows the entire galaxy.
"Pillars of Creation"
This photo is considered one of the most famous photographs famous telescope. Its name is not accidental, since it depicts an active region of star formation in the Eagle Nebula (the nebula itself is located in the constellation Serpens). The dark regions in the Pillars of Creation Nebula are protostars. The most amazing thing is that “on this moment“As such, the pillars of creation no longer exist. According to the Spitzer infrared telescope, they were destroyed by a supernova explosion about 6 thousand years ago, but since the nebula was located at a distance of 7 thousand light years from us, we will be able to admire it for another thousand years.
"Pillars of Creation" / ©NASA
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This report is available in high definition.
Mysterious nebulae, which are millions of light years away, the birth of new stars and collisions of galaxies. Selection best photos from the Hubble Space Telescope.
In the Large Magellan Cloud. This is one of the brightest star formations in this galaxy. Two of the cluster's components are also young, extremely hot stars. The cluster in the center is about 50 million years old, and the lower one is about 4 million years old:
Containing one of the hottest known white dwarfs, likely part of a binary star system. The speed of internal winds flowing from the stars in the center of the system, according to measurements, exceeds 1,000 kilometers per second. The Red Spider Nebula is located in the constellation Sagittarius. The distance to it is not known exactly, but according to some estimates it is about 4000 light years:
In the constellation Golden Fish.
formation of a system from clouds of gas and dust:
New image from the Hubble telescope: star system formation:
Storm of turbulent gases in the Cygnus Nebula, constellation Sagittarius. Among celestial objects, nebulae are the most diverse. Galaxies take spiral shapes, stars are spherical. And only nebulae have no law. They come in all shapes and sizes, and the variety of nebulae is endless. Nebulas are, strictly speaking, accumulations of dust and gas in interstellar space. Their shape is influenced by supernova explosions, magnetic fields, and stellar winds.
In a neighboring galaxy:
Or NGC 2070. This is an emission nebula in the constellation Doradus. Belongs to the satellite galaxy of our Milky Way - the Large Magellanic Cloud:
In the constellation Canes Venatici, which is located 37 million light years from Earth:
One of several "dust columns" nebula M16 Eagle, in which the image can be guessed mythical creature. It is about ten light years in size:
New stars and clouds of gas:
in the constellation Taurus, located at a distance of about 6,500 light years from Earth, has a diameter of 6 light years and is expanding at a speed of 1,000 km/s. At the center of the nebula is a neutron star:
Or NGC 1976. Located about 1,600 light-years from Earth and 33 light-years across. It is one of the most famous deep space objects. This is perhaps the most attractive winter object in the northern sky for astronomy lovers. Through field binoculars, the nebula is already clearly visible as a rather bright elongated cloud:
Biggest star in Orion Nebula:
Spiral galaxy NGC 5457 "Column Wheel". A large and very beautiful galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major:
An open cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud in the constellation Tucana. It is approximately 200,000 light years away from us and has a diameter of about 65 light years:
In the constellation Ursa Major. At the center of the galaxy is a supermassive black hole, around which two less massive black holes, weighing 12 thousand and 200 suns, revolve. Now M 82 has become the most “fashionable” galaxy, since it was the first to show the existence of explosions on a galaxy scale:
Many galaxies have bars near their centers. Even our Milky Way Galaxy is thought to have a small central bar. It takes light about 60 million years to travel the distance separating us from NGC 1672. The size of this galaxy is about 75 thousand light years:
The birth of new stars in Carina Nebula NGC 3372. Located at a distance of 6,500 to 10,000 light years from Earth:
In the constellation Cygnus there is a huge and relatively dim supernova remnant. The star exploded approximately 5,000–8,000 years ago. The distance to it is estimated at 1400 light years:
An open cluster in the constellation Carina. It is located 20 thousand light years from the Sun. The center of the cluster contains thousands of stars more massive than the Sun, formed 1-2 million years ago in a single burst of star formation:
In the constellation Pisces:
Located at a distance of approximately 235 million light years (72 megaparsecs) from us in the constellation Perseus. Each cluster NGC 1275 contains from 100 thousand to 1 million stars:
Another photo galaxies NGC 1275:
Planet of the Solar System:
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We present to you a selection of images taken using the Hubble orbital telescope. It has been in orbit of our planet for more than twenty years and continues to reveal to us the secrets of space to this day.
(Total 30 photos)
Known as NGC 5194, this large galaxy with a well-developed spiral structure may have been the first spiral nebula discovered. It is clearly visible that its spiral arms and dust lanes pass in front of its satellite galaxy, NGC 5195 (left). The pair are located about 31 million light years away and officially belong to the small constellation Canes Venatici.
2. Spiral Galaxy M33
Spiral galaxy M33 is a medium-sized galaxy from the Local Group. M33 is also called the Triangulum galaxy after the constellation in which it is located. About 4 times smaller (in radius) than our Milky Way Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), M33 is much larger than many dwarf galaxies. Because M33 is close to M31, some think it is a satellite of this more massive galaxy. M33 is near the Milky Way, its angular dimensions are more than twice that of full moon, i.e. it is perfectly visible with good binoculars.
3. Stefan Quintet
The group of galaxies is Stefan's Quintet. However, only four galaxies in the group, located three hundred million light years away, participate in the cosmic dance, moving closer and further away from each other. It's quite easy to find extra ones. The four interacting galaxies - NGC 7319, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B and NGC 7317 - have a yellowish color and curved loops and tails, the shape of which is due to the influence of destructive tidal forces. gravitational forces. The bluish galaxy NGC 7320, pictured above left, is much closer than the others, just 40 million light-years away.
4. Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest giant galaxy to our Milky Way. Most likely, our Galaxy looks about the same as the Andromeda Galaxy. These two galaxies dominate the Local Group of galaxies. The hundreds of billions of stars that make up the Andromeda Galaxy combine to produce a visible, diffuse glow. The individual stars in the image are actually stars in our Galaxy, located much closer to the distant object. The Andromeda Galaxy is often called M31 because it is the 31st object in Charles Messier's catalog of diffuse celestial objects.
5. Lagoon Nebula
The bright Lagoon Nebula contains many different astronomical objects. Particularly interesting objects include a bright open star cluster and several active star forming regions. When viewed visually, the light from the cluster is lost against the overall red glow caused by hydrogen emission, while the dark filaments arise from the absorption of light by dense layers of dust.
6. Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543)
The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the most famous planetary nebulae in the sky. Its haunting, symmetrical shape is visible in the central portion of this dramatic false-color image, specially processed to reveal a huge but very faint halo of gaseous material, some three light-years in diameter, that surrounds the bright, familiar planetary nebula.
7. Small constellation Chameleon
The small constellation Chameleon is located near the south pole of the World. The picture reveals amazing features a modest constellation containing many dusty nebulae and colorful stars. Blue reflection nebulae are scattered across the field.
8. Nebula Sh2-136
Cosmic dust clouds glowing faintly with reflected starlight. Far from familiar places on planet Earth, they lurk on the edge of the Cephei Halo molecular cloud complex, 1,200 light-years away. Nebula Sh2-136, located near the center of the field, is brighter than other ghostly apparitions. Its size is more than two light years, and it is visible even in infrared light.
9. Horsehead Nebula
The dark, dusty Horsehead Nebula and the glowing Orion Nebula contrast in the sky. They are located 1,500 light years away in the direction of the most recognizable celestial constellation. And in today's remarkable composite photograph, the nebulae occupy opposite corners. The familiar Horsehead Nebula is a small dark cloud in the shape of a horse's head, silhouetted against a background of red glowing gas in the lower left corner of the picture.
10. Crab Nebula
This confusion remained after the star exploded. The Crab Nebula is the result of a supernova explosion observed in 1054 AD. The supernova remnant is filled with mysterious filaments. The filaments are not just complex to look at. The extent of the Crab Nebula is ten light years. At the very center of the nebula is a pulsar - a neutron star with a mass equal to the mass of the Sun, which fits into an area the size of a small town.
11. Mirage from a gravitational lens
This is a mirage from a gravitational lens. The bright red galaxy (LRG) shown in this photograph has been distorted by its gravity to the light from a more distant blue galaxy. Most often, such distortion of light leads to the appearance of two images distant galaxy, however, in the case of a very precise superposition of the galaxy and the gravitational lens, the images merge into a horseshoe - an almost closed ring. This effect was predicted by Albert Einstein 70 years ago.
12. Star V838 Mon
For unknown reasons, in January 2002, the outer shell of the star V838 Mon suddenly expanded, making it the brightest star in the entire Milky Way. Then she became weak again, also suddenly. Astronomers have never seen a stellar flare like this before.
13. Birth of planets
How are planets formed? To try to find out, the Hubble Space Telescope was tasked with taking a closer look at one of the most interesting of all nebulae in the sky: the Great Orion Nebula. The Orion Nebula can be seen with the naked eye near the belt of the constellation Orion. The insets in this photo show numerous proplyds, many of them stellar nurseries that likely house forming planetary systems.
14. Star cluster R136
At the center of the star-forming region 30 Doradus lies a gigantic cluster of the largest, hottest, and most massive stars known to us. These stars form the R136 cluster, captured in this image taken in visible light by the upgraded Hubble Space Telescope.
Brilliant NGC 253 is one of the brightest spiral galaxies we see, yet one of the dustiest. Some call it the "Silver Dollar Galaxy" because it is shaped like that in a small telescope. Others simply call it the "Sculptor Galaxy" because it lies within the southern constellation Sculptor. This dusty galaxy is located 10 million light years away.
16. Galaxy M83
Galaxy M83 is one of the closest spiral galaxies to us. From the distance that separates us from her, equal to 15 million light years, she looks completely ordinary. However, if we take a closer look at the center of M83 using the largest telescopes, the region appears to be a turbulent and noisy place.
17. Ring Nebula
She really looks like a ring in the sky. Therefore, hundreds of years ago, astronomers named this nebula according to its unusual shape. The Ring Nebula is also designated M57 and NGC 6720. The Ring Nebula belongs to the class of planetary nebulae; these are gas clouds that emit stars similar to the Sun at the end of their lives. Its size exceeds the diameter. This is one of Hubble's early images.
18. Column and jets in the Carina Nebula
This cosmic column of gas and dust is two light years wide. The structure is located in one of the largest star-forming regions of our Galaxy, the Carina Nebula, which is visible in the southern sky and is 7,500 light-years away.
19. Center of the Omega Centauri globular cluster
At the center of the globular cluster Omega Centauri, the stars are packed ten thousand times more densely than the stars in the vicinity of the Sun. The image shows many faint yellow-white stars smaller than our Sun, several orange red giants, and the occasional blue star. If two stars suddenly collide, they can form one more massive star, or they can form a new binary system.
20. A giant cluster distorts and splits the image of the galaxy
Many of them are images of a single unusual, beady, blue ring-shaped galaxy that happens to be located behind a giant cluster of galaxies. According to recent research, in total, at least 330 images of individual distant galaxies can be found in the picture. This stunning photograph of the galaxy cluster CL0024+1654 was taken by the NASA Space Telescope. Hubble in November 2004.
21. Trifid Nebula
The beautiful, multi-colored Trifid Nebula allows you to explore cosmic contrasts. Also known as M20, it lies about 5,000 light-years away in the nebula-rich constellation Sagittarius. The size of the nebula is about 40 light years.
22. Centaurus A
A fantastic array of young blue star clusters, giant glowing gas clouds and dark dust lanes surround the central region of the active galaxy Centaurus A. Centaurus A is close to Earth, 10 million light years away.
23. Butterfly Nebula
Bright clusters and nebulae in Earth's night sky are often named after flowers or insects, and NGC 6302 is no exception. The central star of this planetary nebula is exceptionally hot: its surface temperature is about 250 thousand degrees Celsius.
24. Supernova
Image supernova, which erupted in 1994 on the outskirts of a spiral galaxy.
25. Two colliding galaxies with merging spiral arms
This remarkable cosmic portrait shows two colliding galaxies with merging spiral arms. Above and to the left of the large spiral galaxy pair NGC 6050 can be seen a third galaxy that is also likely involved in the interaction. All of these galaxies are located about 450 million light-years away in the Hercules cluster of galaxies. At this distance, the image covers an area of more than 150 thousand light years. And although this appearance seems quite unusual, scientists now know that collisions and subsequent mergers of galaxies are not uncommon.
26. Spiral Galaxy NGC 3521
Spiral galaxy NGC 3521 lies just 35 million light-years away in the direction of the constellation Leo. The galaxy, which extends over 50,000 light years, has features such as ragged spiral arms irregular shape, decorated with dust, pinkish star-forming regions and clusters of young bluish stars.
27. Jet structure details
Although this unusual emission was first noticed in the early twentieth century, its origin is still the subject of debate. The image shown above, taken in 1998 by the Hubble Space Telescope, clearly shows details of the jet's structure. The most popular hypothesis suggests that the source of the ejection was heated gas orbiting a massive black hole at the center of the galaxy.
28. Galaxy Sombrero
Galaxy M104's appearance resembles a hat, which is why it is called the Sombrero Galaxy. The image shows distinct dark lanes of dust and a bright halo of stars and globular clusters. The reasons why the Sombrero Galaxy looks like a hat are the unusually large central stellar bulge and the dense dark lanes of dust located in the galaxy's disk, which we see almost edge-on.
29. M17: close-up view
Formed by stellar winds and radiation, these fantastic wave-like formations are found in the M17 (Omega Nebula) nebula and are part of a star-forming region. The Omega Nebula is located in the nebula-rich constellation Sagittarius and is 5,500 light-years away. The patchy clumps of dense, cold gas and dust are illuminated by radiation from the stars in the image at top right and could become sites of star formation in the future.
30. Nebula IRAS 05437+2502
What does the IRAS 05437+2502 nebula illuminate? There is no exact answer yet. Particularly puzzling is the bright, inverted V-shaped arc that outlines the top edge of the mountain-like clouds of interstellar dust near the center of the image. Overall, this ghost-like nebula includes a small star-forming region filled with dark dust. It was first spotted in infrared images taken by the IRAS satellite in 1983. Shown here is a remarkable, recently released image from the Hubble Space Telescope. Although it shows many new details, the cause of the bright, clear arc could not be determined.