Amateur astrophotography. The most curious and mysterious photos of space
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Mysterious nebulae, millions of light years away, the birth of new stars and the collision of galaxies. Part 2 of a selection of the best photos from the Hubble Space Telescope. The first part is located.
This is part Carina nebula... The total diameter of the nebula is over 200 light years. Located 8,000 light-years from Earth, the Carina Nebula can be seen in the southern sky with the naked eye. It is one of the brightest regions in the Galaxy:
Hubble ultra-long range (WFC3 camera). Consisting of gas and dust:
Another photo Carina Nebula:
By the way, let's get acquainted with the culprit of today's report. it Hubble telescope in space... Placing a telescope in space makes it possible to register electromagnetic radiation in the ranges in which the earth's atmosphere is opaque; primarily in the infrared range. Due to the absence of the influence of the atmosphere, the resolution of the telescope is 7-10 times higher than that of a similar telescope located on Earth.
The shuttle Discovery, launched on April 24, 1990, put the telescope into its calculated orbit the next day. The total cost of the project was estimated for 1999 at $ 6 billion from the US side and € 593 million was paid by the European Space Agency.
Globular cluster in the constellation Centaurus. It lies 18,300 light years away. Omega Centauri belongs to our Milky Way galaxy and is its largest globular cluster known in this moment... It contains several million stars. Omega Centauri is 12 billion years old:
The Butterfly Nebula ( NGC 6302) - planetary nebula in the constellation Scorpio. Has one of the most complex structures among the famous polar nebulae. Central star of the nebula one of the hottest in the galaxy... The central star was discovered by the Hubble Telescope in 2009:
The largest in the solar system. Along with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, Jupiter is classified as a gas giant. Jupiter has at least 63 moons. Jupiter mass 2.47 times the total mass of all the other planets of the solar system taken together, 318 times the mass of our Earth and about 1,000 times less than the mass of the Sun:
A few more images Carina Nebula:
Part of the galaxy is a dwarf galaxy located at a distance of about 50 kiloparsecs from our Galaxy. This distance is less than twice the diameter of our Galaxy:
And yet the photographs Carina Nebula some of the most beautiful:
Spiral Galaxy Whirlpool. It is located at a distance of about 30 million light years from us in the constellation of the Hounds of the Dogs. The diameter of the galaxy is about 100 thousand light years:
With the help of the Hubble Space Telescope, an amazing image of the planetary retina nebula, which was formed from the remnants of the dying star IC 4406. Like most nebulae, the Retina nebula is almost perfectly symmetrical, its right half is almost mirror-like to the left. After a few million years, only a slowly cooling white dwarf will remain of IC 4406:
M27 is one of the brightest planetary nebulae in the sky and can be seen with binoculars in the constellation Chanterelle. The light goes to us from M27 for about a thousand years:
It looks like a puff of smoke and sparks from a fireworks display, but it is actually debris from a star explosion in a nearby galaxy. Our Sun and the planets of the solar system were formed from similar debris that appeared after a supernova explosion billions of years ago in the Milky Way galaxy:
In the constellation Virgo, at a distance of 28 million light years from Earth. The Sombrero Galaxy gets its name from the protruding central part (bulge) and the edge of dark matter, which gives the galaxy a resemblance to a sombrero hat:
The exact distance to it is unknown; according to various estimates, it may be from 2 to 9 thousand light years. It is 50 light years across. The name of the nebula means "divided into three petals":
Helix Nebula NGC 7293 in the constellation Aquarius, 650 light years from the Sun. One of the closest planetary nebulae and was discovered in 1824:
Located in the constellation Eridanus, 61 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy itself is 110,000 light-years in size, slightly larger than our own galaxy, the Milky Way. NGC 1300 is unlike some spiral galaxies, including our Galaxy, in that there is no massive black hole in its core:
Dust clouds in our Milky Way galaxy. Our Milky Way galaxy, also called simply the Galaxy (with a capital letter), is a giant spiral star system that houses our solar system. The diameter of the Galaxy is about 30 thousand parsecs (about 100,000 light years) with an estimated average thickness of about 1,000 light years. The Milky Way contains, at its lowest estimate, about 200 billion stars. In the center of the Galaxy, apparently, there is a supermassive black hole:
On the right, at the top, these are not fireworks, this is a dwarf galaxy - a satellite of our Milky Way. It is located at a distance of about 60 kiloparsecs in the constellation Toucan:
Formed during the collision of four massive galaxies. This is the first time this phenomenon has been visualized using a combination of images. Galaxies are surrounded by hot gas, which is shown in the image in different colors, depending on its temperature: reddish-purple - the coldest, blue - the hottest:
It is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System after Jupiter. Today, all four gaseous giants are known to have rings, but Saturn has the most prominent. Saturn's rings are very thin. With a diameter of about 250,000 km, their thickness does not even reach a kilometer. The mass of the planet Saturn is 95 times the mass of our Earth:
In the constellation Pisces. The nebula belongs to the Milky Way's satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud:
Measuring 100,000 light years and 35 million light years from the Sun:
And a bonus shot. From the Baikonur cosmodrome at 00 hours 12 minutes 44 seconds Moscow time today, June 8, 2011, ship launched successfully "Soyuz TMA-02M"... This is the second flight of the spacecraft of the new "digital" series Soyuz-TMA-M. Nice start:
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We present to you a selection of pictures taken with orbiting telescope Hubble. It has been in the orbit of our planet for over twenty years and continues to this day to reveal to us the secrets of space.
1. NGC 5194
Known as NGC 5194, this large galaxy with a well-developed spiral structure may have been the first spiral nebula to be discovered. It is clearly seen that its spiral arms and dust lanes pass in front of its companion galaxy - NGC 5195 (left). This pair is about 31 million light-years distant and officially belongs to the small constellation of the Hounds of the Dogs.
2. Spiral galaxy M33
Spiral galaxy M33 is a medium-sized galaxy in the Local Group. M33 is also called the Galaxy in the Triangle 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, it is thought by some to be a companion to this more massive galaxy. M33 is not far from the Milky Way, its angular dimensions are more than twice the size of the full Moon, i.e. it is perfectly visible with good binoculars.
3. Stephen's Quintet
The group of galaxies is Stephen's quintet. However, only four galaxies from the group, located three hundred million light-years from us, participate in the cosmic dance, sometimes approaching, then moving away from each other. It is quite easy to find excess. The four interacting galaxies - NGC 7319, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B, and NGC 7317 - are yellowish in color and have curved loops and tails shaped by destructive tidal gravitational forces. The bluish galaxy NGC 7320, pictured above on the left, is much closer to the rest, 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 collectively 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 referred to as M31, as it is the 31st object in Charles Messier's catalog of diffuse celestial objects.
5. The Lagoon Nebula
The bright Lagoon Nebula is home to many different astronomical objects. Objects of particular interest include the bright open cluster and several active star-forming regions. When viewed visually, the light from the cluster is lost against the general red glow caused by hydrogen emission, while the dark filaments are due to 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 memorable symmetrical shapes are visible in the center of this spectacular fake-color image, specially manipulated to reveal a huge but very faint halo of gaseous matter, about three light-years across, that surrounds a bright, familiar planetary nebula.
7. Small constellation Chameleon
The small constellation Chameleon is located near the South Pole of the World. The picture reveals the amazing features of the modest constellation, which contains many dusty nebulae and colorful stars. Blue reflection nebulae are scattered across the field.
8. Nebula Sh2-136
Cosmic dust clouds, faintly glowing with reflected starlight. Far from familiar places on planet Earth, they hide at the edge of the Halo Cephei molecular cloud complex, 1,200 light-years distant from us. Nebula Sh2-136, located near the center of the field, is brighter than other ghostly visions. It spans over two light years and is visible even in infrared light.
9. Horsehead Nebula
The dark dusty Horsehead Nebula and the luminous Orion Nebula contrast in the sky. They are located at a distance of 1,500 light years from us in the direction of the most recognizable celestial constellation. And in today's remarkable composite photograph, the nebulae occupy opposite angles. The familiar Horsehead Nebula is a small dark cloud, shaped like a horse's head, against the background of glowing red gas in the lower-left corner of the picture.
10. Crab Nebula
This confusion remained after the explosion of the star. The Crab Nebula is the result of a supernova explosion that was observed in 1054 AD. The supernova remnant is filled with mysterious filaments. The fibers aren't just complicated to look at; the Crab Nebula is ten light-years across. 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
It is a mirage from a gravitational lens. The bright red galaxy (LRG) pictured here has distorted light from a more distant blue galaxy with its gravity. Most often, such a distortion of light leads to the appearance of two images of a distant galaxy, but in the case of a very accurate 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 reasons unknown in January 2002 outer shell The stars V838 Mon have suddenly expanded, making it the brightest star in the entire Milky Way. Then she became weak again, just as suddenly. Astronomers have never seen such a stellar flash before.
13. The birth of planets
How are planets formed? To try and figure this out, the Hubble Space Telescope was tasked with gazing at one of the most interesting 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 sidebars in this photo show numerous proplids, many of which are stellar nurseries that are likely to house emerging planetary systems.
14. Star Cluster R136
In the center of the star forming region 30 Dorado is a giant cluster of the largest, hottest, and most massive stars we know of. These stars form the R136 cluster, captured in this visible-light image from the upgraded Hubble Space Telescope.
15. NGC 253
Brilliant NGC 253 is one of the brightest spiral galaxies we see, and at the same time one of the most dusty. Some call it the "Silver Dollar Galaxy" because it is shaped like this in a small telescope. Others simply call it “the galaxy in the Sculptor” because it lies within the southern constellation Sculptor. This dusty galaxy is 10 million light years away.
16. Galaxy M83
Galaxy M83 is one of the closest spiral galaxies to us. From a distance that separates us from it, equal to 15 million light years, it looks completely normal. However, if we take a closer look at the center of M83 with the largest telescopes, this area appears to be a turbulent and noisy place.
17. The Ring Nebula
It 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 is a planetary nebula, gas clouds that eject Sun-like stars at the end of their lives. Its size exceeds the diameter. This is one of the earliest images of Hubble.
18. Pillar and jets in the Carina nebula
This cosmic column of gas and dust is two light years across. 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 distant from us.
19. Center of the globular cluster Omega Centauri
In the center of the globular cluster Omega Centauri, stars are packed ten thousand times denser than stars in the vicinity of the Sun. The image shows many faint yellow-white stars smaller than our Sun, several orange red giants, as well as occasional blue stars. If suddenly two stars collide, then one more massive star may form, or they form a new binary system.
20. The giant cluster distorts and splits the image of the galaxy
Many of them are images of a single unusual, bead-like, blue ring-shaped galaxy, which by chance happened to be located behind a giant cluster of galaxies. According to recent studies, in total, at least 330 images of individual distant galaxies can be found in the picture. This stunning photograph of the CL0024 + 1654 galaxy cluster was taken space telescope them. Hubble in November 2004.
21. Trifid Nebula
The beautifully multi-colored Trifid Nebula lets you explore cosmic contrasts. Also known as M20, it lies about 5,000 light-years away in the nebula-rich constellation Sagittarius. The nebula is about 40 light years across.
22. Centaurus A
A fantastic pile of young blue star clusters, giant glowing gas clouds and dark dust streaks surround the central region of the active galaxy Centaurus A. Centaurus A is close to Earth, at a distance of 10 million light years
23. The Butterfly Nebula
Bright clusters and nebulae in planet 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 extremely hot: its surface temperature is about 250 thousand degrees Celsius.
25. Two colliding galaxies with merged spiral arms
This remarkable space portrait depicts two colliding galaxies with merged spiral arms. Above and to the left of the large spiral galaxy from NGC 6050, a third galaxy can be seen, which is also likely to be involved in the interaction. All of these galaxies are about 450 million light-years away in the Hercules cluster of galaxies. At this distance, the image spans over 150,000 light-years across. Although this view seems very unusual, scientists now know that collisions and subsequent mergers of galaxies are not uncommon.
26. Spiral Galaxy NGC 3521
Spiral galaxy NGC 3521 lies only 35 million light-years away in the direction of the constellation Leo. The galaxy, which spans 50,000 light-years, has features such as irregular, torn spiral arms decorated with dust, pinkish star-forming regions, and clusters of young bluish stars.
27. Details of the jet structure
Despite the fact that this unusual outburst was first noticed in the early twentieth century, its origin is still a matter of debate. The above picture, taken in 1998 by the Hubble Space Telescope, clearly shows the details of the jet's structure. The most popular hypothesis assumes that the source of the ejection was heated gas orbiting a massive black hole in the center of the galaxy.
28. Sombrero Galaxy
Galaxy M104 resembles a hat, which is why it was named the Sombrero Galaxy. The image shows distinct dark dust streaks and a bright halo of stars and globular clusters. The reasons the Sombrero Galaxy looks like a hat are due to its unusually large central stellar bulge and dense dark dust lanes 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 nebula M17 (the Omega Nebula) and enter the region of star formation. The Omega Nebula lies in the nebula-rich constellation Sagittarius and is 5,500 light-years distant. Clumpy clumps of dense, cold gas and dust are illuminated by radiation from the stars in the upper right image, and in the future they may become places of star formation.
30. Nebula IRAS 05437 + 2502
What does the nebula IRAS 05437 + 2502 illuminate? There is no exact answer yet. Particularly mysterious is the bright upside-down V arc that traces the top edge of the mountain-like clouds of interstellar dust near the center of the picture. In short, this ghostlike nebula includes a small star-forming region filled with dark dust and was first seen in infrared images taken by the IRAS satellite in 1983. Shown here is a remarkable, recently released image from the Hubble Space Telescope. Although many new details are visible on it, it has not been possible to establish the cause of the bright, clear arc.
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At the beginning of April, the Taschen publishing house will put up for sale new book with collection the most stunning images of deep space taken with a telescope Hubble... It has been 25 years since the telescope was launched into orbit, and it still continues to inform us about what our universe looks like, in all its incredible beauty.
Barnard 33, or the Horsehead Nebula, is a dark nebula in the constellation Orion
Position: 05h 40m, –02 °, 27 ", distance from Earth: 1,600 light years; instrument / year: WFC3 / IR, 2012.
M83, or Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Hydra
Position: 13h 37m, –29 °, 51 ", distance from Earth: 15,000,000 light years, instrument / year: WFC3 / UVIS, 2009–2012.
Position: 18h 18m, –13 °, 49 ", distance from Earth: 6,500 light years, device / year: WFC3 / IR, 2014.
The book is called Expanding Universe("Expanding Universe") and is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the launch of Hubble. The Hubble photographs published in this book are not just breathtaking images, they are also an opportunity to learn more about space exploration. The book contains an essay from a photography critic, an interview with a specialist who explains exactly how these images are created, and two stories from astronauts about the role this unique telescope plays in space exploration.
RS Puppis is a variable star in the constellation Poppa
Position: 08h 13m, –34 °, 34 ", distance from Earth: 6,500 light years, device / year: ACS / WFC, 2010.
M82, or Cigar Galaxy - spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major
Position: 09h 55m, + 69 ° 40 ", Distance from Earth: 12,000,000 light years, instrument / year: ACS / WFC, 2006.
M16, or the Eagle Nebula, is a young open cluster in the constellation Serpens
Position: 18h 18m, –13 °, 49 ", distance from Earth: 6,500 light years, instrument / year: WFC3 / UVIS, 2014.
Due to the fact that the telescope is in space, it can register radiation in the infrared range, which is completely impossible to do from the surface of the Earth. Therefore, the Hubble's resolution is 7-10 times greater than that of a similar telescope located on the surface of our planet. So, for example, among other things, scientists first obtained maps of Pluto's surface, learned additional data about planets outside solar system, they managed to make significant progress in the study of such mysterious black holes in the centers of galaxies, and also, which seems quite incredible, they were able to formulate the modern cosmological model and find out a more accurate age of the Universe (13.7 billion years).
Jupiter and its moon Ganymede
Sharpless 2-106, or the Snow Angel Nebula in the constellation Cygnus
Position: 20h 27m, + 37 °, 22 ", distance from Earth: 2,000 light years, instrument / year: Subaru, Telescope, 1999; WFC3 / UVIS, WFC3 / IR, 2011.
M16, or the Eagle Nebula, is a young open cluster in the constellation Serpens
Position: 18h 18m, –13 °, 49 ", distance from Earth: 6,500 light years, instrument / year: ACS / WFC, 2004.
HCG 92, or Stephen's Quintet, is a group of five galaxies in the constellation Pegasus
Position: 22h 35m, + 33 °, 57 ", distance from Earth: 290,000,000 light years, instrument / year: WFC3 / UVIS, 2009.
M81, NGC 3031, or Bode's Galaxy - spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major
The Earth is a planet of amazing beauty, conquering with its incredible beauty landscapes. But if you look into the depths of space using powerful telescopes, then you understand: there is also something to admire in space. And photographs taken by NASA satellites, therefore, confirmation.
1. Galaxy Sunflower
The Sunflower Galaxy is one of the most beautiful cosmic structures known to man, in the Universe. Its sweeping spiral arms are composed of new blue-white giant stars.
2. Carina Nebula
Although this image is considered by many to be Photoshop, it is actually a real shot of the Carina Nebula. Giant accumulations of gas and dust spread over 300 light years. This region of active star formation is located at a distance of 6,500 - 10,000 light years from Earth.
3. Clouds in the atmosphere of Jupiter
This infrared image of Jupiter shows clouds in the planet's atmosphere, colored differently depending on their height. Since the large amount of methane in the atmosphere limits the penetration sunlight, the yellow areas are the clouds at the highest level, the red areas are at the middle level, and the blue areas are the lowest clouds.
What is really amazing in this image is that it shows the shadows of all three of Jupiter's largest moons - Io, Ganymede and Callisto. A similar event occurs about once every ten years.
4. Galaxy I Zwicky 18
The shot of Galaxy I Zwicky 18 looks more like a scene from Doctor Who, which gives a special cosmic beauty this image. The dwarf irregular galaxy baffles scientists because some of its star formation processes are typical of galaxy formation in the earliest days of the universe. Despite this, the galaxy is relatively young: it is only about a billion years old.
5. Saturn
The dimmest planet that can be seen from Earth with the naked eye, Saturn is generally considered the favorite planet for all aspiring astronomers. Its remarkable ring structure is the most famous in our universe. The image was taken in infrared light to show the subtle hues of Saturn's gaseous atmosphere.
6. Nebula NGC 604
More than 200 very hot stars make up the nebula NGC 604. The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the impressive fluorescence of the nebula caused by ionized hydrogen.
7. Crab Nebula
Collected from 24 separate images, this photograph of the Crab Nebula shows a supernova remnant in the constellation Taurus.
8. Star V838 Mon
The red ball in the center of this image is V838 Mon, surrounded by many dust clouds. This incredible photo was taken after the star's outburst triggered a so-called "light echo" that pushed the dust further away from the star into space.
9. Cluster Westerlund 2
The image of the Westerlund 2 cluster was taken in infrared and visible light. It was published to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Hubble telescope's orbiting the Earth.
10. Hourglass
One of the creepy images (in fact, one of a kind) that NASA has taken is the Hourglass Nebula. It was named so because of the unusual shape of the gas cloud, which was formed under the influence of the stellar wind. It looks like it's all a creepy eye that looks from the depths of space to Earth.
11. Witch's broom
A portion of the Veil Nebula, 2,100 light years from Earth, shows all the colors of the rainbow. Due to its elongated and slender shape, this nebula is often referred to as the Witch's Broom.
12. Constellation Orion
A real giant lightsaber can be seen in the constellation Orion. It is, in fact, a jet of gas under tremendous pressure, which creates a shock wave upon contact with the surrounding dust.
13. Explosion of a supermassive star
This image shows an explosion of a supermassive star that looks more like a birthday cake than a supernova. Two loops of the star's remnants extend unevenly, while a ring in the center surrounds the dying star. Scientists are still looking for a neutron star or black hole in the center of a former giant star.
14. Whirlpool Galaxy
While the Maelstrom Galaxy looks great, it hides a dark secret (literally) - the galaxy is full of predatory black holes. On the left, the Whirlpool is shown in the range of visible light (i.e., its stars), and on the right, in infrared light (its dust cloud structures).
15. The Orion Nebula
On the this picture The Orion Nebula looks like the open mouth of the Phoenix bird. The photo was taken in infrared, ultraviolet and visible light to create an incredibly colorful and detailed image. The bright spot at the site of the bird's heart is four giant stars, about 100,000 times brighter than the Sun.
16. The Ring Nebula
As a result of the explosion of a star similar to our Sun, the Ring Nebula was formed - beautiful red-hot layers of gas and the remnants of the atmosphere. All that remains of the star is a small white dot in the center of the picture.
17. Milky Way
If anyone needs to describe what hell looks like, they can use this infrared image of the core of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Hot, ionized gas swirls in a giant whirlpool at its center, and massive stars are forming in various places.
18. The Cat's Eye Nebula
The stunning Cat's Eye Nebula is made up of eleven rings of gas that predate the nebula itself. Wrong internal structure is believed to be the result of a rapidly moving stellar wind that "ripped" the bubble shell at both ends.
19. Omega Centauri
More than 100,000 stars have clustered together in the globular cluster Omega Centauri. The yellow dots are middle-aged stars, just like our Sun. Orange dots are older stars, and the large red dots are stars in the red giant phase. After these stars "shed" the outer layer of hydrogen gas, they turn bright blue.
20. Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula
One of the most popular NASA photographs in history is the Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula. These giant formations of gas and dust were captured in visible light. The pillars change over time as they are "weathered" by stellar winds from nearby stars.
21. Stephen's Quintet
The five galaxies known as the "Stephen's Quintet" are constantly "fighting" with each other. Although the blue galaxy on the left upper corner much closer to Earth than the others, the other four are constantly "pulling" each other apart, distorting their shapes and tearing their sleeves.
22. The Butterfly Nebula
Informally known as the Butterfly Nebula, NGC 6302 is actually the remnants of a dying star. Its ultraviolet radiation causes the gases ejected by the star to glow brightly. The butterfly's wings span more than two light years, half the distance from the Sun to the nearest star.
23. Quasar SDSS J1106
Quasars are the result of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies. The quasar SDSS J1106 is the most energetic quasar ever found. The radiation from SDSS J1106, located about 1,000 light years from Earth, is roughly equal to 2 trillion Suns, or 100 times the size of the entire Milky Way.
24. War and Peace Nebula
The nebula NGC 6357 is one of the most dramatic artworks in the sky and it is not surprising that it was unofficially named "War and Peace". Its dense network of gas forms a bubble around the bright star cluster Pismis 24, then uses its ultraviolet radiation to heat the gas and push it out into the universe.
25. Carina Nebula
One of the most breathtaking images from space is the Carina Nebula. An interstellar cloud of dust and ionized gases is one of the largest nebulae visible in the earth's sky. The nebula is made up of countless star clusters and even the brightest star in the Milky Way galaxy.
The science
Space full of unexpected surprises and incredibly beautiful landscapes that astronomers today can capture in photos. Sometimes spacecraft or ground-based spaceships take such unusual photographs that scientists still long puzzled over what it is.
Space photography helps make amazing discoveries, see the details of the planets and their satellites, draw conclusions regarding their physical properties, determine the distance to objects and much more.
1) The glowing gas of the Omega Nebula ... This nebula, open Jean Philippe de Chezot in 1775, located in the area constellation Sagittarius of the Milky Way galaxy. The distance to this nebula is about 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 hillocks on Mars ... This photo was taken by the panchromatic context camera of the automatic interplanetary station. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that explores Mars.
The picture shows strange formations that formed on lava flows interacting with water at the surface. Lava, flowing down the slope, encircled the bases of the hillocks, then swelling. Swelling lava- a process in which a liquid layer, which is under a solidifying layer of liquid lava, slightly raises the surface, forming such a relief.
These formations are located on the Martian plain. Amazonis Planitia- a huge territory covered with solidified lava. The plain is also covered a thin layer of reddish dust, which slides along steep slopes, forming dark stripes.
Planet Mercury (photo)
3) Beautiful colors of Mercury ... This colorful image of Mercury was captured by combining a large number of images taken by NASA's interplanetary station. "Messenger" for a year of work in orbit of Mercury.
Of course it is not real colors of the planet closest to the Sun however, the colorful image allows you to see the chemical, mineralogical and physical differences in the landscape of Mercury.
4) Space lobster ... This image was taken by the VISTA telescope. European Southern Observatory... It captures a cosmic landscape that includes a huge glowing cloud of gas and dust that surrounds young stars.
This infrared image shows the nebula NGC 6357 in the constellation Scorpio presented in a new light. The picture was taken during the project Vía Láctea... Scientists are currently scanning the Milky Way in an attempt map a more detailed structure of our galaxy and explain how it was formed.
Mysterious Mount of the Carina Nebula
5) Mysterious mountain ... The image shows a mountain of dust and gas rising from the Carina Nebula. The top of a vertical column of chilled hydrogen, which has a height of about 3 light years, carried away by radiation from nearby stars. The stars located in the area of the pillars release jets of gas that can be seen at the tops.
Water traces on Mars
6) Traces of an ancient water flow on Mars ... This is a high resolution photo that was taken January 13, 2013 via spacecraft "Mars Express" of the European Space Agency, offers to see the surface of the Red Planet in real colors. This is a snapshot of the area southeast of the plain. Amenthes planum and north of the plain Hesperia Planum.
The picture shows craters, lava channels and valley, through which liquid water probably once flowed. The valley and the bottom of the craters are covered with wind-blown dark sediments.
7) Dark space gecko ... The picture was taken with a ground-based 2.2-meter telescope MPG / ESO European Southern Observatory in Chile. The photo shows a bright star cluster NGC 6520 and his neighbor is a strangely shaped dark cloud Barnard 86.
This cosmic couple is surrounded by millions of glowing 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 points... Younger stars emit pinkish glow... New stars are forming in lighter areas. Hot dust is shown in red and dense clouds are indicated in green.
Unusual nebula (photo)
9) Valentine's Day Nebula ... This is an image of a planetary nebula that may resemble someone rosebud, was obtained with a telescope Kitt Peak National Observatory in USA.
Sh2-174 is an unusual ancient nebula. It was formed during the explosion of a low-mass star at the end of its existence. From the star remains 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 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 recently passed Valentine's Day, another unusual phenomenon appeared in the sky. More precisely, it was made snapshot unusual solar flare , which in the photo is captured in the shape of a heart.
Satellite of Saturn (photo)
11) Mimas - Death Star ... Photo of Saturn's moon Mimas was taken spaceship NASA "Cassini" during its approach to the object at the closest distance. This satellite is something resembles the Death Star – space station from a fantastic saga "Star Wars".
Herschel crater has in diameter 130 kilometers and covers most of right side satellite in the picture. Scientists continue to explore this impact crater and the surrounding areas.
Photos were taken February 13, 2010 from a distance 9.5 thousand kilometers, and then, like a mosaic, are assembled into one sharper and more detailed picture.
12) Galactic duo ... These two galaxies, shown in the same photo, have completely different shapes. Galaxy NGC 2964 is a symmetrical spiral, and the galaxy NGC 2968(top right) - a galaxy that has a fairly close interaction with another small galaxy.
13) Colored crater of Mercury ... Although Mercury does not boast a particularly colorful surface, some areas on it still stand out for the contrast of colors. The pictures were taken during the spacecraft mission "Messenger".
Halley's comet (photo)
14) Halley's comet in 1986 ... This famous historical shot 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 depicts a strange spiky formation near the South Pole of the Red Planet. The surface of the hill appears to be layered and has traces of erosion. Its height is presumably 20-30 meters... The appearance of dark spots and streaks on the hill is due to 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 in the vicinity of LL Orionis, which interacts with the stream. orion nebula... LL Orionis produces winds that are stronger than those of our own middle-aged star, the Sun.
Galaxy in the constellation Canis Hounds (photo)
17) Spiral galaxy Messier 106 in the constellation Canine Hounds ... NASA Space Telescope Hubble with the participation of an amateur astronomer made one of the best pictures of a spiral galaxy Messier 106.
Located at a distance of about 20 million light years away Not too 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... In it there is a fairly rapid formation of new stars, which puts it at a certain phase of the evolution of galaxies, according to scientists.
Since intense star formation is taking place in the Cigar galaxy, it 5 times brighter than our Milky Way... This picture was taken Mount Lemmon Observatory(USA) and demanded exposure for 28 hours.
19) Ghost Nebula ... This photo was taken with a 4m telescope. (Arizona, USA). The object, named vdB 141, is a reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus.
Several stars can be seen in the area of the nebula. Their light gives the nebula an unpleasant yellowish brown color. Photo taken August 28, 2009.
20) Powerful hurricane Saturn ... This colorful image taken by NASA "Cassini", depicts the violent northern storm of Saturn, which reached its greatest power at that moment. The contrast of the image has been increased to show turbulent areas (in white) that stand out from other details. 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 like this. From this angle, the Earth too phases will be noticeable: Part of the planet will be in shadow and part of it 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, bright stripes, where new stars are formed, are visible in particular detail.
The Andromeda Galaxy or M31 is the closest large galaxy to our Milky Way... It is located from us at a distance of about 2.5 million years, therefore, it is 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 with a 4-meter telescope. Inter-American Observatory of Cerro Tololo in Chile January 11, 2012... The picture shows part of the Unicorn R2 molecular cloud. This is a site of intense new star formation, especially in the red nebula just below the center of the image.
Satellite of Uranus (photo)
24) Ariel's Scarred Face ... This image of Uranus' satellite Ariel is composed of 4 different images taken with the apparatus Voyager 2... 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 ... At 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 intensively and heat passes through these translucent layers of dry ice, heating the soil under them.
Dry ice evaporates, immediately turning into gas, bypassing the liquid phase. If the pressure is high enough ice cracks and gas breaks out of cracks forming "fans"... These dark "fans" are small pieces of material that are carried away by the gas escaping from the cracks.
Merging galaxies
26) Stephen's Quintet ... This group of 5 galaxies in the constellation Pegasus, located in 280 million light years from the earth. Four out of five galaxies are going through a violent merger phase, they will crash into each other, eventually forming a single galaxy.
The central blue galaxy appears to be part of this group, however this is an illusion. This galaxy is much closer to us - in the distance only 40 million light years... Image taken 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 Kitt Peak National Observatory in June 2009... This nebula was part of another diffuse nebula, and it is also quite pale, 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 rover MER-A Spirit took this amazing picture of the sunset, being at this moment on the edge Gusev crater... The solar disk, as you can see, is slightly smaller than the disk seen from Earth.
29) Hypergigan star Eta Carinae ... In this incredibly detailed image from NASA's space telescope Hubble, huge clouds of gas and dust from the giant star can be seen Ety Kiel... This star is located more than 8 thousand light years, and the overall structure is comparable in width to our solar system.
About 150 years ago a supernova explosion was noticed. This Carina became the second 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 powerful flash, which is most likely the result of the activity of a massive black hole at its center.
