Category: Image of the Day

IC 1848: The Soul Nebula

Stars are forming in the Soul of the Queen of Aethopia. More specifically, a large star forming region called the Soul Nebula can be found in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, who Greek mythology credits as the vain wife...

/ February 29, 2016

Milky Way over the Pinnacles in Australia

This was my favourite view growing up in Australia. It was a fair distance away from where this picture was taken in a small town called Darwin, but the view was equally as spectacular on a clear night sky when...

/ February 18, 2016

Galaxies in the River

Just like large animals grow by eating smaller ones on Earth, our Milky Way galaxy grows by eating other smaller galaxies in the area. This isn’t a local phenomenon either, it happens throughout the Universe like a desperate monopoly player...

/ February 16, 2016

LIGO Detects Gravitational Waves from Merging Black Holes

With this discovery of ripples through Space Time, first proposed by Einstein, we have been able to cement our current understanding of gravity and basic physics as true… which means that although we know very little about the universe we...

/ February 16, 2016

Hidden Galaxy IC 342

Similar in size to large, bright spiral galaxies in our neighborhood, IC 342 is a mere 10 million light-years distant in the long-necked, northern constellation Camelopardalis.  A sprawling island universe, IC 342 would otherwise be a prominent galaxy in our...

/ January 31, 2016

Star Cluster R136 Bursts Out

In the center of star-forming region 30 Doradus lies a huge cluster containing some of the largest, hottest, and most massive stars known. These stars, known collectively as star cluster R136, were captured in the featured image in visible light...

/ January 25, 2016
Saturn ISS

International Space Station Transits Saturn

From low Earth orbit to the outer Solar System, this remarkable video frame composite follows the International Space Station’s transit of Saturn. On January 15, the well-timed capture from a site near Dulmen, Germany required telescope and camera to be...

/ January 24, 2016
NGC 1300

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1300

Big, beautiful, barred spiral galaxy NGC 1300 lies some 70 million light-years away on the banks of the constellation Eridanus. This Hubble Space Telescope composite view of the gorgeous island universe is one of the largest Hubble images ever made...

/ January 10, 2016

Comets and Bright Star

This timely, telescopic, two panel mosaic spans about 10 full moons across planet Earth’s predawn skies. Recorded as the year began from Tenerife, Canary Islands, near the top of the frame are the faint coma and tail of Comet Borrelly...

/ January 7, 2016

The Lagoon Nebula in Hydrogen Sulfur and Oxygen

Looking closely you can see bright spots within the Lagoon Nebula. This is dust and gas collapsing down to form new stars. The majestic Lagoon Nebula is filled with hot gas and the home for many young stars. Spanning 100...

/ January 6, 2016