Nebulas and Cosmic Structures

Vivid infrared images of stunning cosmic nebulae, showcasing star formation and intricate patterns in the depths of space.

The Fox Fur Nebula, located towards the constellation of Monoceros, is an immense cloud of interstellar gas and cosmic dust interacting with the radiation and winds released by the surrounding hot, young stars

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This carved-out cloud of gas and dust has been nicknamed the Jack-o'-lantern Nebula because it looks like a cosmic hollowed-out pumpkin. Powerful outflows of radiation and particles from a massive star known as an O-type star and about 15 to 20 times heavier than the Sun has likely swept the surrounding dust and gas outward, creating deep gouges in the cloud. The image shows infrared light (which is invisible to the human eye) captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

NASA's WISE, shows a cosmic nebula blossoming with new stars. The stars, called the Berkeley 59 cluster, are the blue dots to the right of the image center.

The Eagle nebula, an industrious star-making factory located 7,000 light-years away in the Serpens constellation. The image shows the region's entire network of turbulent clouds and newborn stars in infrared light. Hubble Space Telescope (HST),Spitzer Space Telescope.

Outer space art. Starfield. Elements of this image furnished by NASA. Outer space art. Starfield. Awesome nebulae. Elements of this image furnished by NASA. Copyright: xZoonar.com/SpacexTelescopexSciencexInstitutx 18468233

NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission presents the 'Wreath nebula.' The nebula's official name is Barnard 3, or IRAS Ring G159.6-18.5. Regions similar to this nebula are found near the band of the Milky Way galaxy in the night sky.

NGC 3372, The Eta Carinae Nebula.

The Omega Nebula, a starforming region in the constellation Sagittarius.

This WISE mosaic is of the Soul Nebula (a.k.a. the Embryo Nebula, IC 1848, or W5). It is an open cluster of stars surrounded by a cloud of dust and gas over 150 light-years across and located about 6,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia, near the Heart Nebula.

The Cocoon nebula is featured in this image from NASA's WISE. This cloud of dust and gas, cataloged as IC 5146 and located in the constellation Cygnus, is wrapped in a dark cloud of dust called Barnard 168. Within this cocoon of dust and gas, new stars are forming and beginning to emerge into the wild.

The Fox Fur Nebula, located towards the constellation of Monoceros, is an immense cloud of interstellar gas and cosmic dust interacting with the radiation and winds released by the surrounding hot, young stars

These false-color image taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the 'South Pillar' region of the star-forming region called the Carina Nebula.

NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey captured this view of a runaway star racing away from its original home. Surrounded by a glowing cloud of gas and dust, the star AE Aurigae appears on fire. Appropriately, the cloud is called the Flaming Star nebula.

Detail of the Pelican Nebula

The Orion nebula is featured in this sweeping image from NASA's WISE. The constellation of Orion is prominent in the evening sky throughout the world from about December through April of each year.

Outer Space Red Galaxy Stars Universe Cosmic Background

Newborn stars, hidden behind thick dust, are revealed in this image of a section of the Christmas Tree cluster.

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Spitzer Space Telescope false-colour image of South Pillar region of tsar-forming region called the Carina Nebula. Star embryos (yellow or white) inside finger-like pillars of thick dust (pink). Hot gases are green. Credit NASA

Endless universe with stars and galaxies in outer space. Cosmos art. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

The Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex from NASA's WISE. The Rho Ophiuchi cloud is found rising above the plane of the Milky Way in the night sky, bordering the constellations Ophiuchus and Scorpius. It's one of the nearest star-forming regions to Earth.

NGC 2264, The Cone Nebula Region.

On the Verge of a Supernova

This visible light/infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a swirling landscape of stars known as the North America nebula. Clusters of young stars (about one million years old) can be found throughout the image.

Wizard Nebula

The broad vista of young stars and gas clouds in our neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. Elements of this image furnished by NASA. Retouched image

Messier 42, the Orion Nebula.

The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades, located more than 400 light-years away in the Taurus constellation, seem to float on a bed of feathers in a new infrared image from the Spitzer Space Telescope. Clouds of dust sweep around the stars, swaddling them in a cushiony veil. The star cluster was born when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, about one hundred million years ago. It is significantly younger than our 5-billion-year-old sun. The brightest members of the cluster, also the highest

Spitzer Space Telescope infrared image of a snake (upper left) and surrounding stormy environment. It is actually the core of a thick, sooty cloud large enough to swallow dozens of solar systems. Credit NASA.

This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope transforms a dark cloud into a silky translucent veil, revealing the molecular outflow from an otherwise hidden newborn star.

This shot from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows a maelstrom of glowing gas and dark dust within one of the Milky Ways satellite galaxies, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This stormy scene shows a stellar nursery known as N159, an HII region over 150 light-years across. N159 contains many hot young stars. These stars are emitting intense ultraviolet light, which causes nearby hydrogen gas to glow, and torrential stellar winds, which are carving out ridges, arcs, and filaments from the surrounding material. At the heart of this cosmic cloud lies the Papillon Nebula, a butterfly-shaped region of nebulosity. This small, dense object is classified as a High-Excitation Blob, and is thought to be tightly linked to the early stages of massive star formation. N159 is located over 160,000 light-years away. It resides just south of the Tarantula Nebula (heic1402), another massive star-forming complex within the LMC. This image comes from Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys. The regio

This star-forming region, captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, is dominated by the bright, young star IRAS 13481-6124 (upper left), which is about twenty times the mass of our sun and five times its radius, and is surrounded by its pre-natal cocoon.

The fighting dragons nebula, NGC 6188, and the emission nebula NGC 6164.

NGC 2264, The Cone Nebula Region

Outer Space Galaxy Stars Universe Cosmic Background

NGC 2080, nicknamed 'The Ghost Head Nebula,' is one of a chain of star-forming regions lying south of the 30 Doradus nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

This image shows the famous Pleiades cluster of stars as seen through the eyes of WISE.

The Heart and Soul nebulae are seen in this infrared mosaic from NASA's WISE. Located in the constellation Cassiopeia, about 6,000 light-years from Earth, the Heart and Soul nebulae form a vast star-forming complex that makes up part of the Perseus spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy. The nebula to the right is the Heart, and to the left is the Soul nebula.

The Lobster Claw Nebula SH2-157 in the Cassiopeia constellation

Nebula, cluster of stars in deep space. Science fiction art. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

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Awesome of endless cosmos. Elements of this image furnished by NASA Awesome of endless cosmos. Science fiction wallpaper. Elements of this image furnished by NASA. Copyright: xZoonar.com/EvgeniixPuzanovx 18477807

A dying star (center) surrounded by a cloud of glowing gas and dust. The star and its cloud halo constitute a 'planetary nebula' called NGC 246. Spitzer Space Telescope.

Sadr region in Cygnus constellation.

This false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a dying star (center) surrounded by a cloud of glowing gas and dust.

IC 1805 in Cassiopeia

North American Nebula and Pelican Nebula Landscape of star clusters one million years old known as the North American and Pelican Nebula upper right Retouched & cleaned version of original image from Spitzer Telescope - NASA/JPL-Caltech Copyright: xZoonar.com/Ing.xSchiederxMarkusx 5935026

The aptly named Cocoon nebula is featured in this image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. This cloud of dust and gas is located in the constellation Cygnus, and is wrapped in a dark cloud of dust called Barnard 168.

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A new infrared image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, showcases the Tadpole nebula, and asteroids that just happened to be cruising by.

Sending chills down the spine of all arachnophobes is the Tarantula nebula, seen in this image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer; the nebula is the largest star-forming region known in our entire Local Group of galaxies.

Outer Space Green Galaxy Stars Universe Cosmic Background

NGC 1973, The Running Man Nebula.

Omega Nebula

Widefield view of the Crescent Nebula, also known as NGC 6888

This infrared image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer shows the Lambda Centauri nebula, a star-forming cloud in our Milky Way galaxy, also known as the Running Chicken nebula.

The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades star cluster, located more than 400 light-years away in the Taurus constellation. Spitzer Space Telescope.

The Heart and Soul nebulae are seen in this infrared mosaic from NASA's WISE. Located in the constellation Cassiopeia, about 6,000 light-years from Earth, the Heart and Soul nebulae form a vast star-forming complex that makes up part of the Perseus spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy. The nebula to the right is the Heart, and to the left is the Soul nebula.

NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer has uncovered a striking population of young stellar objects in a complex of dense, dark clouds in the southern constellation of Circinus.

Awesome of endless cosmos. Science fiction wallpaper. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

Diffuse nebula NGC 6357 in the constellation Scorpius.

This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a wispy, vast structure in the constellation Perseus with a small bubble right in its center puffed out by the spasms of fresh-formed, heavyweight stars

This mosaic from NASA's WISE Telescope is of the Soul Nebula. It is an open cluster of stars surrounded by a cloud of dust and gas located about 6,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia, near the Heart Nebula.

This infrared portrait of the Small Magellanic Cloud, taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, reveals the stars and dust in this galaxy as never seen before. This nearby satellite galaxy to our Milky Way galaxy is some 200,000 light-years away.

A detailed view of the Eagle Nebula, Messier 16.

This WISE mosaic is of the Soul Nebula (a.k.a. the Embryo Nebula, IC 1848, or W5). It is an open cluster of stars surrounded by a cloud of dust and gas over 150 light-years across and located about 6,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia, near the Heart Nebula (partially seen in the WISE image of Maffei 1 & 2).The cluster of stars, IC 1848, formed about a million years ago from the material of the nebula. Winds and ultraviolet light from these young stars are excavating a cavity in the cloud. Parts of the cloud that are more dense than their surroundings are being eroded more slowly and form giant towers, or pillars of dust and gas, which all point toward the central star cluster.

In the quest to better understand the birth of stars and the formation of new worlds, astronomers have used NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to examine the massive stars contained in a cloudy region called Sharpless 140.

Infrared image from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope showing the Rosette nebula, a pretty star-forming region more than 5,000 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros. lurking inside this delicate cosmic rosebud are so-called planetary danger zones (see spheres illustrations in figure 1). These zones surround super hot stars, called O-stars (blue stars inside spheres), which give off intense winds and radiation. Young, cooler stars that just happen to reside within one of these zones are in danger of having their dusty planet-forming materials stripped away. This image shows infrared light captured by Spitzers infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 24 microns is red; light of 8 microns is green; and light of 4.5 microns is blue.

NGC 7822 and Cederblad 214

Stars, dust and gas nebula in a far galaxy Stars, dust and gas nebula in a far galaxy. Elements of this image furnished by NASA Copyright: xZoonar.com/gannaxacheretx 12157918

This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a wispy, vast structure in the constellation Perseus with a small bubble right in its center puffed out by spasms of fresh-formed, heavyweight stars.

This infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows what astronomers are referring to as a 'snake' (upper left) and its surrounding stormy environment.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope took this image of a baby star sprouting two identical jets.

This image shows the famous Pleiades cluster of stars as seen through the eyes of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer; they are what astronomers call an open cluster of stars, loosely bound to each other to eventually go their separate ways.

Cederblad 214 emission nebula in the constellation Cepheus.

Explosion of Infrared Color

NASA's WISE captured this image of a huge complex of star-forming clouds and stellar clusters found in the constellation Cygnus.

infrared image from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope shows what astronomers refer to as a snake (upper left) and its surrounding stormy environment. The object is the core of a thick, sooty cloud large enough to swallow dozens of solar systems. The blue dots are foreground stars. The red ball at the bottom left is a supernova remnant, the remains of massive star that died in a fiery blast. Astronomers speculate that radiation and winds from the star before it died, in addition to a shock wave created when it exploded, might have played a role in creating the snake. The snake is located about 11,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. T

The Soul Nebula, with the pillars LBN 669 and LBN 670.

The Crab Nebula

NASA's WISE captured this colorful image of the nebula BFS 29 surrounding the star CE-Camelopardalis, found hovering in the band of the night sky comprising the Milky Way.

NASA image release April 23, 2010This craggy fantasy mountaintop enshrouded by wispy clouds looks like a bizarre landscape from Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" or a Dr. Seuss book, depending on your imagination. The NASA Hubble Space Telescope photograph, which is stranger than fiction, captures the chaotic activity atop a three-light-year-tall pillar of gas and dust that is being eaten away by the brilliant light from nearby bright stars. The pillar is also being assaulted from within, as infant stars buried inside it fire off jets of gas that can be seen streaming from towering peaks.This turbulent cosmic pinnacle lies within a tempestuous stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, located 7,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. The image marks the 20th anniversary of Hubble's launch and deployment into Earth orbit.Scorching radiation and fast winds (streams of charged particles) from hot newborn stars in the nebula are shaping and compressing the pillar, ca

The Heart Nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia.

This image represents a view of NASA's Kepler's supernova remnant taken in X-rays, visible light, and infrared radiation, indicating that the bubble of gas that makes up the supernova remnant appears different in various types of light.

Vitually impossible to photograph from the US, Bill Williams and Tony Hallas captured this image from the Florida Keys during the 2006 Winter Star Party when it was just a few degrees about the horizon. A powerful star-forming nebula with the star Eta Carina embedded in the nebulosity,

Beauty of endless cosmos. Science fiction art. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

NGC 7822 starforming complex in Cepheus.

The California Nebula, aka NGC 1499, in Perseus.

Omega Nebula, Messier 17.

This image shows data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, from the IRAC instrument, with colors corresponding to wavelengths of 3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0 µm (shown as blue, green, orange and red). The grand red delta filling most of the image is a far-away nebula, or a cloud of gas and dust. A second nebula is located in the lower right portion of the image. Within the first nebula, on the left side of this image, a dark filament runs horizontally through the green cloud. A smattering of baby stars (the red and yellow dots) appear inside it. Known as Cepheus C, the area is a particularly dense concentration of gas and dust where infant stars form. This region is called Cepheus C because it lies in the constellation Cepheus, which can be found near the constellation Cassiopeia. Cepheus-C is about 6 light years long, and lies about 40 light-years from the bright spot at the tip of the nebula. Two features identified in the annotated image are visible only in the multi-instrument version of

View of Abell 85 supernova remnant in constellation Cassiopeia

A star-forming region shines from the considerable distance of more than 30,000 light-years away in the upper left of this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. This image is a combination of data from Spitzer and the Two Micron All Sky Survey.

Infrared view of the Lagoon Nebula, also know as, Messier 8. Dated 2010

The Cave Nebula and surroundings.

IC 1848, the Soul Nebula in Hubble-palette color mapping

two companion galaxies, NGC 4625 (top) and NGC 4618 (bottom), and their surrounding cocoons of cool hydrogen gas (purple). The huge set of spiral arms on NGC 4625 (blue) was discovered by the ultraviolet eyes of NASAs Galaxy Evolution Explorer. Though these arms are nearly invisible when viewed in optical light, they glow brightly in ultraviolet. This is because they are bustling with hot, new-born stars that radiate primarily ultraviolet light. The vibrant spiral arms are also quite lengthy, stretching out to a distance four times the size of the galaxys core. They are part of the largest ultraviolet galactic disk discovered so far. The purple nebulosity shown here illustrates that hydrogen gas an ingredient of star formation is diffusely distributed around both galaxies. This means that other unknown factors led to the development of the arms of NGC 4625.

Newborn stars, hidden behind thick dust, are revealed in this image of a section of the Christmas Tree cluster.

IC 1805, the Heart Nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia.

NGC 2244, the open cluster within the Rosette Nebula, which is a large, circular H II region located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the constellation Monoceros

IC405, diffuse nebula in the constellation Fuhrmann in the northern starry sky, Bavaria, Germany, Europe

NGC 6357, the Lobster Nebula in Scorpius.

NASA's Great Observatories continue Galileo's legacy with stunning images and breakthrough science from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

This false-color image taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a globular cluster previously hidden in the dusty plane of our Milky Way galaxy. Globular clusters are compact bundles of old stars that date back to the birth of our galaxy.

The Lagoon Nebula is a bright, diffuse nebula in the southern constellation Sagittarius; cataloged as M8 or NGC 6526

Emission nebula NGC 6820

Image release August 16, 2012 Astronomers using data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have caught two clusters full of massive stars that may be in the early stages of merging. The 30 Doradus Nebula is 170,000 light-years from Earth. What at first was thought to be only one cluster in the core of the massive star-forming region 30 Doradus has been found to be a composite of two clusters that differ in age by about one million years. The entire 30 Doradus complex has been an active star-forming region for 25 million years, and it is currently unknown how much longer this region can continue creating new stars. Smaller systems that merge into larger ones could help to explain the origin of some of the largest known star clusters. The Hubble observations, made with the Wide Field Camera 3, were taken Oct. 20-27, 2009. The blue color is light from the hottest, most massive stars; the green from the glow of oxygen; and the red from fluorescing hydrogen. To read more about this image go to

Outer Space Galaxy Stars Universe Cosmic Background

This infrared image showed a 'snake' (upper left) and its surrounding stormy environment. The object is actually the core of a thick, sooty cloud large enough to swallow dozens of solar systems. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

IC 2944, a large H II region (star forming cloud) in the southern constellation of Centaurus. The bright blue star near the center is Lambda Centauri. The cluster of hot blue stars in the center are illuminating the gases of IC2944 and causing it to glow in the red and magenta light of excited hydrogen. The compact cluster of blue stars on the left is NGC 3766 and the more subtle cluster near the top left is IC 2714.

In the Perseus spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, opposite the galactic center, lies the nebula SH 2-235. As seen in infrared light, NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer reveals SH 2-235 to be a huge star formation complex.

The Heart Nebula (IC 1805), and the Soul Nebula (IC 1848), with NGC 896 at upper right, in the constellation Cassiopeia.

Supernova remnant NGC 2018 in the large magellanic cloud in the constellation Mensa.

This image captured by NASA's WISE, shows of one of our closest neighboring galaxies, Messier 33. Also named the Triangulum galaxy, M33 is one of largest members in our small neighborhood of galaxies -- the Local Group.

The Jellyfish Nebula, also known as IC 443 and Sharpless 248

This false-color image from three of NASA's Great Observatories provides one example of a star that died in a fiery supernova blast. Called Cassiopeia A, this supernova remnant is located 10,000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia.

Two extremely bright stars illuminate a greenish mist in this image from the new 'GLIMPSE360' survey from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

Release date Dec. 30, 2009In the supernova remnant W49B, Suzaku found another fossil fireball. It detected X-rays produced when heavily ionized iron atoms recapture an electron. This view combines infrared images from the ground (red, green) with X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory (blue).

False-colour image of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A in constellation Cassiopeia, 10,000 light-years away. It is the remnant of a once massive star that died in a supernova explosion. Credit NASA. Science Astronomy

There are nearly 200 galaxies within the marked circles in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. These are part of the Perseus-Pisces supercluster of galaxies located 250 million light-years away.

The Heart of a Nebula

The supernova remnant 1E0102.2-7219 sits next to the nebula N76 in a bright, star-forming region of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our Milky Way galaxy located about 200,000 light-years from Earth. Hubble Space Telescope,Spitzer Space Telescope,Chandra X-ray Telescope.

IC 1396, the Elephant Trunk Nebula.

This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the scattered remains of an exploded star named Cassiopeia A. Spitzer's infrared detectors 'picked' through these remains and found that much of the star's original layering had been preserved.

Crab Nebula

IC 1805 and IC 1848 Nebula, also known as the Heart and Soul Nebula

Small part of an infinite star field of space in the Universe. Elements of this image furnished by NASA .. Small part of an infinite star field.

The Crescent Nebula, also known as NGC 6888, is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus. Here the S II plus the N II plus H alpha wavelengths are red, the O III wavelength is green, and the OIII plus 0.3 H alpha is blue.

Dumbbell Nebula, Messier 27.

This image from NASA's Spitzer and GALEX shows the Helix nebula, a dying star throwing a cosmic tantrum. In death, the star's dusty outer layers are unraveling into space, glowing from the intense UV radiation being pumped out by the hot stellar core.

Sh2-199, the Soul Nebula.

The Omega Nebula, also known as the Swan Nebula, Messier 17 or NGC 6618, is an H II region of glowing gas and plasma in the constellation Sagittarius

Barnard 33, the Horsehead Nebula.

Space Galaxy Background, Supernova Core pulsar neutron star. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

Tarantula Nebula

Messier 27, a planetary nebula.

Resembling the hair in Botticelli's famous portrait of the birth of Venus, an image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured softly glowing filaments streaming from hot young stars in a nearby nebula.

This planetary nebula is called PK 329-02.2 and is located in the constellation of Norma in the southern sky. It is also sometimes referred to as Menzel 2, or Mz 2, named after the astronomer Donald Menzel who discovered the nebula in 1922. When stars that are around the mass of the sun reach their final stages of life, they shed their outer layers into space, which appear as glowing clouds of gas called planetary nebulae. The ejection of mass in stellar burnout is irregular and not symmetrical, so that planetary nebulae can have very complex shapes. In the case of Menzel 2 the nebula forms a winding blue cloud that perfectly aligns with two stars at its center. In 1999 astronomers discovered that the star at the upper right is in fact the central star of the nebula, and the star to the lower left is probably a true physical companion of the central star. For tens of thousands of years the stellar core will be cocooned in spectacular clouds of gas and then, over a period of a few thous

July 27, 2009 - NGC 6302, also known as the Bug Nebula or Butterfly Nebula. Butterfly Emerges from Stellar Demise in Planetary Nebula NGC 6302What resemble dainty butterfly wings are actually boiling cauldrons of gas heated to more than 36,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The gas is tearing across space at more than 600,000 miles an hour.A dying star that was once about five times the mass of the Sun is at the center of this fury. It has ejected its envelope of gases and is now unleashing a stream of

A panoramic view of a vast, sculpted area of gas and dust where thousands of stars are being born in the Doradus Nebula. Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

The star is ending its life by casting off its outer layers of gas, which formed a cocoon around the star's remaining core. Ultraviolet light from the dying star makes the material glow. The burned-out star, called a white dwarf, is the white dot in the center. Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

Solar system, space and dust cloud with stars in universe with light, pattern and color glow cosmos. Galaxy, infinity and planets in milky way with nebula shine, dark sky and explosion in aerospace.

The Rosette Nebula

NGC 281, also known as the Pacman Nebula, is an H II region in the constellation of Cassiopeia and part of the Perseus Spiral Arm

Six hundred and fifty light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, a dead star about the size of Earth, is refusing to fade away peacefully. In death, it is spewing out massive amounts of hot gas and intense ultraviolet radiation, creating a spectacular object called a 'planetary nebula.' Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Spitzer Space Telescope.

Stars Forming in Cone Nebula

Awesome galaxy. Elements of this image furnished by NASA Awesome galaxy, science fiction wallpaper. Elements of this image furnished by NASA Copyright: xZoonar.com/EvgeniixPuzanovx 16770996

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has snapped the best ever image of the Antennae Galaxies. Hubble has released images of these stunning galaxies twice before, once using observations from its Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) in 1997, and again in 2006 from the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). Each of Hubbles images of the Antennae Galaxies has been better than the last, due to upgrades made during the famous servicing missions, the last of which took place in 2009. The galaxies — also known as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 — are locked in a deadly embrace. Once normal, sedate spiral galaxies like the Milky Way, the pair have spent the past few hundred million years sparring with one another. This clash is so violent that stars have been ripped from their host galaxies to form a streaming arc between the two. In wide-field images of the pair the reason for their name becomes clear — far-flung stars and streamers of gas stretch out into space, creating long tidal tails reminiscent

Listed as Cassiopeia A, this remnant of the supernova is one of the brightest radio sources in the known universe. More recently, NASA's WISE telescope detected infrared echoes of the flash of light rippling outwards from the supernova.

This colorful bubble is a planetary nebula called NGC 6818, also known as the Little Gem Nebula. It is located in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer), roughly 6,000 light-years away from us. The rich glow of the cloud is just over half a light-year across humongous compared to its tiny central star but still a little gem on a cosmic scale. When stars like the sun enter "retirement," they shed their outer layers into space to create glowing clouds of gas called planetary nebulae. This ejection of mass is uneven, and planetary nebulae can have very complex shapes. NGC 6818 shows knotty filament-like structures and distinct layers of material, with a bright and enclosed central bubble surrounded by a larger, more diffuse cloud. Scientists believe that the stellar wind from the central star propels the outflowing material, sculpting the elongated shape of NGC 6818. As this fast wind smashes through the slower-moving cloud it creates particularly bright blowouts at t

NGC 7380 in true colors.

Messier 57, the Ring Nebula.

Planetary Nebula NGC 5307

Emission nebula NGC 2626 in the constellation Vela.

NASA image release January 11, 2012 Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have solved a longstanding mystery on the type of star, or so-called progenitor, that caused a supernova in a nearby galaxy. The finding yields new observational data for pinpointing one of several scenarios that could trigger such outbursts. Based on previous observations from ground-based telescopes, astronomers knew that a kind of supernova called a Type Ia created a remnant named SNR 0509-67.5, which lies 170,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy. The type of system that leads to this kind of supernova explosion has long been a high importance problem with various proposed solutions but no decisive answer. All these solutions involve a white dwarf star that somehow increases in mass to the highest limit. Astronomers failed to find any companion star near the center of the remnant, and this rules out all but one solution, so the only remaining possibility is that this one Type Ia

Ant Nebula Menzel 3

Seine et Marne. Constellation of the Unicorn. Close-up on the spectacular Rosette nebula, a vast gas complex located some 5,000 light-years away.

SH2-173 Ha emission nebula in constellation Cassiopeia wide field

The Butterfly Nebula, dying star nebula, Elements of this image furnished by NASA. Retouched image

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory has captured this spectacular image of G292.0+1.8, a young, oxygen-rich supernova remnant with a pulsar at its center surrounded by outflowing material. This image shows a rapidly expanding shell of gas that is 36 light-years across and contains large amounts of elements such as oxygen, neon, magnesium, silicon and sulfur. Embedded in this cloud of multimillion-degree gas is a key piece of evidence linking neutron stars and supernovae produced by the collapse of massive stars. With an age estimated at 1,600 years, G292.0+1.8 is one of three known oxygen-rich supernovae in our galaxy. These supernovae are of great interest to astronomers because they are one of the primary sources of the heavy elements necessary to form planets and people. Scattered through the image are bluish knots of emissions containing material that is highly enriched in newly created oxygen, neon, and magnesium produced deep within the original star and ejected by the supernova explos

Helix Nebula