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List		 Addition DateSort Ascending Target Mission Instrument Size
Add Image to Favorite List 2023-12-22 James Webb Space Telescope
IRAS
Spitzer Space Telescope
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Scientists have been studying the universe with infrared space telescopes for 40 years, including these NASA missions, from left: the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS); the Spitzer Space Telescope; and the James Webb Space Telescope.
PIA25790:
Three of NASA's Infrared Telescopes
Full Resolution:     TIFF (12.05 MB)     JPEG (317.2 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2022-11-22 Orion Nebula Herschel Space Observatory
Spitzer Space Telescope
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 Herschel Telescope
Spitzer Space Telescope
WISE Telescope
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This infrared image of the Orion Nebula features plenty of dust but no stars. In these infrared wavelengths, it's possible to see hot spots where new stars are forming, while unseen bright, massive stars have carved out caverns of empty space.
PIA25434:
Orion Nebula in Infrared
Full Resolution:     TIFF (108.7 MB)     JPEG (1.603 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2022-11-11 Eagle Nebula Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
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The dusty face of the Eagle Nebula and its surroundings are revealed in this image based on data from NASA's Wide Field Survey Explorer (WISE).
PIA25433:
The Eagle Nebula Observed by WISE
Full Resolution:     TIFF (34.69 MB)     JPEG (1.01 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2021-10-25 Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spitzer Space Telescope
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NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope imaged this cloud of gas and dust. The colors represent different wavelengths of infrared light and can reveal such features as places where radiation from stars had heated the surrounding material.
PIA24579:
Godzilla Nebula Imaged by Spitzer
Full Resolution:     TIFF (37.65 MB)     JPEG (2.228 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2021-08-17 Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spitzer Space Telescope
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Shown here are the Eagle, Omega, Triffid, and Lagoon Nebulae, imaged by NASA's infrared Spitzer Space Telescope. These nebulae are part of a structure within the Milky Way's Sagittarius Arm that is poking out from the arm at a dramatic angle.
PIA24577:
Four Famous Nebulae
Full Resolution:     TIFF (38.9 MB)     JPEG (2.529 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2021-08-17 4800x2700x3
A contingent of stars and star-forming clouds was found jutting out from the Milky Way's Sagittarius Arm. The inset shows the size of the structure and distance from the Sun.
PIA24576:
A Break in the Milky Way's Sagittarius Arm
Full Resolution:     TIFF (20.62 MB)     JPEG (897.7 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2020-11-18 Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
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The Blue Ring Nebula consists of two expanding cones of debris. The base of one cone is moving toward Earth. Both bases are outlined in magenta, revealing shockwaves created as the debris races through space.
PIA23868:
Geometry of the Blue Ring Nebula (Animation)
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.374 MB)     JPEG (66.08 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2020-11-18 Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
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The Blue Ring Nebula consists of two expanding cones of gas ejected into space by a stellar merger. As the gas cools, it forms hydrogen molecules that collide with particles in interstellar space, causing them to radiate far-ultraviolet light.
PIA23867:
The Blue Ring Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (26.12 MB)     JPEG (761.9 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2020-08-25 Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spitzer Space Telescope
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This image from NASA's Spitzer Space telescope shows the star-forming nebula W51, one of the largest star factories in the Milky Way galaxy.
PIA23865:
Spitzer Image of Star Factory W51
Full Resolution:     TIFF (6.752 MB)     JPEG (432.4 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2020-04-17 Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spitzer Space Telescope
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NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope took this image of the California Nebula on Jan. 25, 2020, five days before the spacecraft was decommissioned.
PIA23650:
Spitzer California Nebula Mosaic
Full Resolution:     TIFF (12.09 MB)     JPEG (759 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2020-01-27 Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spitzer Space Telescope
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This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Tarantula Nebula in infrared light.
PIA23647:
Tarantula Nebula Spitzer 3-Color Image
Full Resolution:     TIFF (126.6 MB)     JPEG (4.053 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2020-01-27 Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spitzer Space Telescope
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This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Tarantula Nebula in two wavelengths of infrared light, each represented by a different color.
PIA23646:
Tarantula Nebula Spitzer 2-Color Image
Full Resolution:     TIFF (112.2 MB)     JPEG (5.08 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2020-01-07 SOFIA
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In this composite image of the Omega, or Swan, Nebula, SOFIA's view reveals evidence that parts of the nebula formed separately to create the swan-like shape seen today.
PIA23409:
SOFIA Reveals How the Swan Nebula Hatched
Full Resolution:     TIFF (15.44 MB)     JPEG (401.7 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2019-10-30 Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spitzer Space Telescope
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This infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space telescope shows a cloud of gas and dust carved out by a massive star. A drawing overlaid on the image reveals why researchers nicknamed this region the Jack-o-lantern Nebula.
PIA23403:
The Jack-o-Lantern Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.756 MB)     JPEG (118.5 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2019-09-30 Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spitzer Space Telescope
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This infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a cloud of gas and dust full of bubbles, which are inflated by wind and radiation from massive young stars.
PIA23402:
Spitzer Spots Bubbles and Bow Shocks
Full Resolution:     TIFF (31.7 MB)     JPEG (1.693 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2019-05-30 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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A mosaic by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of the Cepheus C and Cepheus B regions. This image combines data from Spitzer's IRAC instrument only.
PIA23127:
Cepheus C and Cepheus B Region by Spitzer (One-Instrument)
Full Resolution:     TIFF (237.3 MB)     JPEG (9.239 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2019-05-30 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
MIPS
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A mosaic by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of the Cepheus C and Cepheus B regions. This image combines data from Spitzer's IRAC and MIPS instruments.
PIA23126:
Cepheus C and Cepheus B Region by Spitzer (Two-Instrument)
Full Resolution:     TIFF (233.5 MB)     JPEG (6.984 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2019-03-27 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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This image by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows W40, a nebula, or a giant cloud of gas and dust.
PIA23121:
Space Butterfly
Full Resolution:     TIFF (29.94 MB)     JPEG (1.244 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2018-10-23 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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The Cat's Paw Nebula, imaged here by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, shows a dark filament running through the middle, composed of dense gas and dust.
PIA22567:
Cat's Paw Image 2
Full Resolution:     TIFF (27.74 MB)     JPEG (1.843 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2018-10-23 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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The Cat's Paw Nebula, imaged here by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, is a star-forming region that lies inside the Milky Way Galaxy.
PIA22568:
Cat's Paw Image 1
Full Resolution:     TIFF (27.74 MB)     JPEG (1.447 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2018-01-11 Hubble Space Telescope
Spitzer Space Telescope
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This artist's concept showcases both the visible and infrared visualizations of the Orion Nebula, looking down a 'valley' leading to the star cluster at far end.
PIA22089:
Visible and Infrared Visualization of the Orion Nebula (Artist's Concept)
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.841 MB)     JPEG (94.93 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2017-05-10 Hubble Space Telescope
XMM-Newton
Chandra X-ray Observatory
Spitzer Space Telescope
 Very Large Array (VLA)
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This image of the Crab Nebula combines data from five different telescopes. It is know as the expanding gaseous remnant from a star that self-detonated as a supernova, briefly shining as brightly as 400 million suns.
PIA21474:
Crab Nebula from Five Observatories
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.823 MB)     JPEG (119.2 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2016-10-12 Orion Herschel Space Observatory
 PACS
SPIRE
HIFI
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The dusty side of the Sword of Orion is illuminated in this striking infrared image from the European Space Agency's Hershel Space Observatory.
PIA21073:
Ionized Carbon Atoms in Orion
Full Resolution:     TIFF (80.59 MB)     JPEG (1.376 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2016-09-08 Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spitzer Space Telescope
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These nebulae seen by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, display two regions of star formation that are hidden behind a haze of dust when viewed in visible light, known officially y their catalog numbers, IRAS 19340+2016 and IRAS19343+2026.
PIA20917:
Enterprising Nebulae
Full Resolution:     TIFF (7.622 MB)     JPEG (457.3 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2016-05-27 Herschel Space Observatory
 PACS
SPIRE
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New stars are the lifeblood of our galaxy, and there is enough material revealed by ESA's Herschel of the constellation Vulpecula (little fox) OB1. The giant stars at the heart of Vulpecula OB1 are some of the biggest in the galaxy.
PIA13500:
The Little Fox and the Giant Stars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (9.204 MB)     JPEG (393.2 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2016-04-14 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS)
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The spider part of 'The Spider and the Fly' nebulae, IC 417 abounds in star formation, as seen in this infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS).
PIA20357:
The Spider Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (24.67 MB)     JPEG (1.305 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2016-01-21 Hubble Space Telescope
 Advanced Camera for Surveys
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Resembling an opulent diamond tapestry, this image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope shows a glittering star cluster that contains a collection of some of the brightest stars seen in our Milky Way galaxy called Trumpler 14.
PIA20468:
Hubble Unveils a Tapestry of Dazzling Diamond-Like Stars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (45.79 MB)     JPEG (1.43 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2015-08-20 Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spitzer Space Telescope
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NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope celebrated its 12th anniversary with a new digital calendar showcasing some of the mission's most notable discoveries and popular cosmic eye candy.
PIA19872:
NASA's Spitzer 12th Anniversary Space Calendar
Full Resolution:     TIFF (38.9 MB)     JPEG (1.945 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2015-08-20 Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spitzer Space Telescope
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Scores of baby stars shrouded by dust are revealed in this infrared image of the star-forming region NGC 2174, as seen by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Found in the constellation Orion, NGC 2174 is located around 6,400 light-years away.
PIA19836:
Seeing Beyond the 'Monkey Head'
Full Resolution:     TIFF (24.08 MB)     JPEG (444.6 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2014-12-19 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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The famous Horsehead nebula takes on a ghostly appearance in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, released on December 18, 2014.
PIA18905:
Horsehead of a Different Color
Full Resolution:     TIFF (71.28 MB)     JPEG (848.6 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2014-10-22 Chandra X-ray Observatory
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
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In this image of PSR B1509-58 (about 170,000 light-years from Earth), X-rays from NASA's Chandra in gold are seen along with infrared data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope in red, green and blue.
PIA18848:
Face Illusion in the Cosmic Clouds
Full Resolution:     TIFF (38.89 MB)     JPEG (573.6 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2014-08-27 Hubble Space Telescope
Spitzer Space Telescope
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Artist's impression of a firestorm of star birth deep inside core of young, growing elliptical galaxy.
PIA18471:
A Cauldron of Star Birth in the Center of a Young Galaxy (Artist's Concept)
Full Resolution:     TIFF (18.01 MB)     JPEG (1.482 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2014-05-28 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS)
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Studied by astronomers, Serpens Cloud Core is one of the youngest collections of stars ever seen in our galaxy. This infrared image combines data from NASA's Spitzer with shorter-wavelength observations from the Two Micron All Sky Survey.
PIA18014:
The 'Serpent' Star-Forming Cloud Spawns Stars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (9.972 MB)     JPEG (628.5 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2014-05-07 Chandra X-ray Observatory
Spitzer Space Telescope
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This composite image shows one of the clusters, NGC 2024, which is found in the center of the so-called Flame Nebula about 1,400 light years from Earth. Astronomers have studied two star clusters using NASA's Chandra and infrared telescopes.
PIA18249:
Inside the Flame Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (38.89 MB)     JPEG (874.9 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2014-04-02 Helix Nebula Hubble Space Telescope
 Hubble Space Telescope
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This image of the Helix Nebula from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope shows a fine web of filamentary 'bicycle-spoke' features embedded in the colorful red and blue gas ring, which is one of the nearest planetary nebulae to Earth.
PIA18164:
Iridescent Glory of Nearby Helix Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (768.1 MB)     JPEG (27.72 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2014-01-30 Hubble Space Telescope
 WFPC2
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This image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope shows Herbig-Haro 30, the prototype of a gas-rich 'young stellar object' disk around a star.
PIA17835:
Dark Disks Around Young Stars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (3.031 MB)     JPEG (56.86 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2014-01-29 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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Radiation and winds from massive stars have blown a cavity into the surrounding dust and gas, creating the Trifid nebula, as seen here in infrared light by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.
PIA17834:
Storm of Stars in the Trifid Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (50.32 MB)     JPEG (2.289 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2014-01-09 NuSTAR
 NuSTAR
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Nicknamed the 'Hand of God,' this object is called a pulsar wind nebula, imaged by NASA's NuSTAR. It's powered by the leftover, dense core of a star that blew up in a supernova explosion.
PIA17566:
High-Energy X-ray View of 'Hand of God'
Full Resolution:     TIFF (18.76 MB)     JPEG (172.9 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-12-12 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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A dying star, called the Helix nebula, is shown surrounded by the tracks of asteroids in an image captured by NASA's WISE. Skirting around the edges of the Helix nebula are the footprints of asteroids marching across the field of view.
PIA17564:
March of Asteroids Across Dying Star
Full Resolution:     TIFF (199.1 MB)     JPEG (8.773 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-12-12 Herschel Space Observatory
Hubble Space Telescope
 PACS
WFPC2
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This image shows a composite view of the Crab nebula, an iconic supernova remnant in our Milky Way galaxy, as viewed by the Herschel Space Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope.
PIA17563:
Crab Nebula, as Seen by Herschel and Hubble
Full Resolution:     TIFF (44.81 MB)     JPEG (1.205 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-10-30 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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An infrared portrait of the Witch Head nebula from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, shows billowy clouds where new stars are brewing.
PIA17553:
'Witch Head' Brews Baby Stars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (252 MB)     JPEG (7.886 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-10-28 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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This trio of ghostly images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the disembodied remains of dying stars called planetary nebulas. Planetary nebulas are a late stage in a sun-like star's life.
PIA17552:
Death Beckons Three Aging Stars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (21.86 MB)     JPEG (480 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-10-25 Hubble Space Telescope
 ALMA
Hubble Space Telescope
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The Boomerang nebula, called the 'coldest place in the universe,' reveals its true shape to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope. The background blue structure, is seen in visible light by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
PIA17551:
Ghostly 'Boomerang'
Full Resolution:     TIFF (9.318 MB)     JPEG (384.9 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-09-12 Sol (our sun) Voyager
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This artist's concept depicts NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft entering interstellar space. Interstellar space is dominated by the plasma, or ionized gas, that was ejected by the death of nearby giant stars millions of years ago.
PIA17462:
Voyager 1 Entering Interstellar Space (Artist Concept)
Full Resolution:     TIFF (113.3 MB)     JPEG (938.1 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-08-23 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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Massive stars can wreak havoc on their surroundings, as can be seen in this new view of the Carina nebula from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope.
PIA17257:
The Tortured Clouds of Eta Carinae
Full Resolution:     TIFF (122.9 MB)     JPEG (5.541 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-08-21 Asteroid Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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NASA's NEOWISE, snapped this infrared picture of near-Earth object 1998 KN3 as it zips past a cloud of dense gas and dust near the Orion nebula.
PIA17255:
Asteroid Zips By Orion
Full Resolution:     TIFF (7.683 MB)     JPEG (163.5 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-08-15 Mercury MESSENGER
 MDIS - Wide Angle
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Nebula? No, It's the Cat's Eye Crater!
PIA17409:
Nebula? No, It's the Cat's Eye Crater!
Full Resolution:     TIFF (6.042 MB)     JPEG (263.1 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-05-24 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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This cloud of glowing gas is the Iris nebula, also called NGC 7023.as seen in infrared light by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. It lies 1,300 light-years away in the Cepheus constellation.
PIA17015:
Infrared Iris
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.766 MB)     JPEG (58.18 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-19 Hubble Space Telescope
 WFC3
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Backlit wisps along the Horsehead Nebula's upper ridge are being illuminated by Sigma Orionis, a young five-star system just off the top of this image from the Hubble Space Telescope.
PIA16008:
Hubble Sees a Horsehead of a Different Color
Full Resolution:     TIFF (18.43 MB)     JPEG (700.1 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-03 Chandra X-ray Observatory
Hubble Space Telescope
Spitzer Space Telescope
 Chandra X-ray Telescope
IRAC
Visible-Light
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The tip of the 'wing' of the Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy is dazzling in this new view from NASA's Great Observatories. The SMC, is a small galaxy about 200,000 light-years way that orbits our own Milky Way spiral galaxy.
PIA16884:
Taken Under the 'Wing' of the Small Magellanic Cloud
Full Resolution:     TIFF (38.89 MB)     JPEG (1.685 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-19 Herschel Space Observatory
 Herschel Telescope
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Astronomers have discovered some of the youngest stars ever seen thanks to the Herschel space observatory; dense envelopes of gas and dust surround the fledging stars known as protostars, make their detection difficult until now.
PIA16839:
Infant Stars Peek Out from Dusty Cradles
Full Resolution:     TIFF (21.03 MB)     JPEG (339.9 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-05 Rosette Nebula Herschel Space Observatory
 PACS
SPIRE
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Artist's impression of Herschel is set against an image captured by the observatory, showing baby stars forming in the Rosette nebula. The bright spots are dusty cocoons containing massive forming stars, each one up to ten times the mass of our own sun.
PIA16871:
Herschel's Cool Universe (Artist's Concept)
Full Resolution:     TIFF (48.27 MB)     JPEG (1.26 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-02-05 Orion Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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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.
PIA16684:
The Cosmic Hearth
Full Resolution:     TIFF (87.54 MB)     JPEG (1.346 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-10-03 Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
Ultraviolet/Visible Camera
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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.
PIA15817:
The Helix Nebula: Unraveling at the Seams
Full Resolution:     TIFF (108.7 MB)     JPEG (3.087 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-07-02 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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The Flame Nebula sits on the eastern hip of Orion the Hunter, a constellation most easily visible in the northern hemisphere during winter evenings in this view from NASA's WISE Telescope.
PIA15635:
A Different View of the Flame Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (91.79 MB)     JPEG (1.767 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-05-16 Helix Nebula Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
 Ultraviolet/Visible Camera
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NGC 7293, better known as the Helix nebula, displays its ultraviolet glow courtesy of NASA's GALEX. The Helix is the nearest example of a planetary nebula, which is the eventual fate of a star, like our own Sun, as it approaches the end of its life.
PIA15658:
NGC 7293, the Helix Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (25.58 MB)     JPEG (884.6 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-04-17 Chandra X-ray Observatory
Hubble Space Telescope
Spitzer Space Telescope
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This composite of 30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula, contains data from Chandra (blue), Hubble (green), and Spitzer (red). Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Tarantula Nebula is one of the largest star-forming regions close to the Milky Way.
PIA14415:
A New View of the Tarantula Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (31.1 MB)     JPEG (1.774 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-03-29 SOFIA
 FORCAST
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Researchers using NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) have captured infrared images of the last exhalations of a dying sun-like star. This image is of the planetary Nebula M2-9.
PIA15420:
NASA's SOFIA Captures Images of the Planetary Nebula M2-9
Full Resolution:     TIFF (9.175 MB)     JPEG (78.26 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-03-22 Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
 Ultraviolet/Visible Camera
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Wispy tendrils of hot dust and gas glow brightly in this ultraviolet image of the Cygnus Loop nebula, taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer. The nebula lies about 1,500 light-years away.
PIA15415:
Cygnus Loop Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (108 MB)     JPEG (5.259 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-03-08 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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This nebula, which is in the constellation of Scutum, has no common name since it is hidden behind dust clouds. It takes an infrared telescope like NASA's Spitzer to see through this dark veil and reveal this spectacular hidden nebula.
PIA15413:
An Audience Favorite Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (21.6 MB)     JPEG (964.2 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-02-29 Herschel Space Observatory
Spitzer Space Telescope
 Herschel Telescope
IRAC
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NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and ESA's Herschel mission combined to show this view of the Orion nebula, found below the three belt stars in the famous constellation of Orion the Hunter, highlights fledgling stars hidden in the gas and clouds.
PIA13959:
Orion's Rainbow of Infrared Light
Full Resolution:     TIFF (24.19 MB)     JPEG (321.2 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-01-18 Herschel Space Observatory
XMM-Newton
 PACS
SPIRE
XMM-Newton X-ray
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This image of the Eagle nebula shows the self-emission of the intensely cold nebula's gas and dust as never seen before; the nebula's intricate tendril nature, with vast cavities forms an almost cave-like surrounding to the famous pillars.
PIA15260:
Herschel Sees Through Ghostly Pillars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (5.493 MB)     JPEG (151 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-01-10 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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This enormous section of the Milky Way galaxy is a mosaic of images from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. The constellations Cassiopeia and Cepheus are featured in this 1,000-square degree expanse.
PIA15256:
A Royal Celebration
Full Resolution:     TIFF (199.3 MB)     JPEG (16.67 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-01-10 Herschel Space Observatory
Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
SPIRE
PACS
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This image shows the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy in infrared light as seen by ESA's Herschel Space Observatory and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The brightest center-left region is called 30 Doradus, or the Tarantula Nebula.
PIA15254:
Dusty Space Cloud
Full Resolution:     TIFF (720.8 MB)     JPEG (22.21 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-12-22 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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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.
PIA15252:
A Cosmic Wreath
Full Resolution:     TIFF (61.34 MB)     JPEG (892.8 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-12-12 Spitzer Space Telescope
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This infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the nebula nicknamed 'the Dragonfish.' This turbulent region, jam-packed with stars, is home to some of the most luminous massive stars in our Milky Way galaxy.
PIA14885:
Dragonfish Coming At You in Infrared
Full Resolution:     TIFF (125.4 MB)     JPEG (8.273 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-11-16 Chandra X-ray Observatory
Spitzer Space Telescope
 Chandra X-ray Telescope
IRAC
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About 2,400 massive stars in the center of 30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula, produce intense radiation and powerful winds as they blow off material seen as infrared emission from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and X-rays from Chandra X-ray Observatory.
PIA15079:
30 Doradus: The Growing Tarantula Within
Full Resolution:     TIFF (33.15 MB)     JPEG (457 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-11-09 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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Between the claws of the dreaded scorpion imagined by the ancient Greeks lies this giant dust cloud, imaged by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. The constellation of Scorpius is prominent in the summer night sky in North America.
PIA14874:
Dusty Reflections in the Scorpion's Claws
Full Resolution:     TIFF (81.12 MB)     JPEG (2.361 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-10-26 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer observed the star-forming cloud NGC 281 in the constellation of Cassiopeia as it appears to be chomping through the cosmos, earning it the nickname the 'Pacman' nebula.
PIA14873:
Does 'Pacman' Have Teeth?
Full Resolution:     TIFF (32.67 MB)     JPEG (778.2 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-09-29 Mercury MESSENGER
 Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS)
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How Was Mercury Made?
PIA14850:
How Was Mercury Made?
Full Resolution:     TIFF (38.91 MB)     JPEG (1.058 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-09-28 NGC 281 Chandra X-ray Observatory
Spitzer Space Telescope
 Chandra X-ray Telescope
IRAC
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This composite image of the star cluster NGC 28 contains X-ray data from Chandra, in purple, with infrared observations from Spitzer, in red, green, blue. NGC 281 is known informally as the 'Pacman Nebula' because of its appearance in optical images.
PIA14731:
The 'Pacman Nebula'
Full Resolution:     TIFF (29.37 MB)     JPEG (797.6 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-09-16 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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Swirling dust clouds and bright newborn stars dominate the view in this image of the Lagoon nebula from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The nebula lies in the general direction of the center of our galaxy in the constellation Sagittarius.
PIA14728:
Into the Depths of the Lagoon Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (7.481 MB)     JPEG (449.4 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-08-15 Spitzer Space Telescope
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This is an artist's concept, based on data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, of graphene, buckyballs and C70 superimposed on an image of the Helix planetary nebula, a puffed-out cloud of material expelled by a dying star.
PIA14548:
Graphene in Space (Artist's Concept)
Full Resolution:     TIFF (3.053 MB)     JPEG (78.04 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-08-10 Helix Nebula Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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The 'Dumbbell nebula,' also known as Messier 27, pumps out infrared light in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Planetary nebulae are now known to be the remains of stars that once looked a lot like our sun.
PIA14417:
Weighing in on the Dumbbell Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (11.76 MB)     JPEG (495.8 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-08-01 Herschel Space Observatory
Spitzer Space Telescope
 HIFI
IRAC
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This graphic illustrates where astronomers at last found oxygen molecules in space -- near the star-forming core of the Orion nebula. The squiggly lines, or spectra, reveal the signatures of oxygen molecules, detected by ESA's Hershel Space Observatory.
PIA14407:
Oxygen in Orion
Full Resolution:     TIFF (21.6 MB)     JPEG (308.4 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-08-01 Herschel Space Observatory
Spitzer Space Telescope
 HIFI
IRAC
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ESA's Herschel Space Observatory found oxygen molecules in a dense patch of gas and dust adjacent to star-forming regions in the Orion nebula.
PIA14406:
Oxygen No Longer Lost in Space
Full Resolution:     TIFF (21.6 MB)     JPEG (276.5 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-06-30 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope exposes the depths of this dusty nebula with its infrared vision, showing stellar infants that are lost behind dark clouds when viewed in visible light.
PIA14106:
Making a Spectacle of Star Formation in Orion
Full Resolution:     TIFF (19.99 MB)     JPEG (597.6 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-06-24 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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This image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer highlights several star-forming regions. There are five distinct centers of star birth in this one image alone. The largest, brightest cloud, in the upper right is known as Gum 22.
PIA14105:
Star Formation Everywhere You Look
Full Resolution:     TIFF (72 MB)     JPEG (1.391 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-06-15 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
MIPS
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This glowing emerald nebula seen by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is named RCW 120; this region of hot gas and glowing dust can be found in the murky clouds encircled by the tail of the constellation Scorpius.
PIA14104:
In the Blackest Night, a Green Ring Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (38.88 MB)     JPEG (1.234 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-06-13 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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This image of the Elephant's Trunk nebula from NASA's Wide-field Survey Explorer shows clouds of dust and gas being pushed and eroded by a massive star. The bright 'trunk' of the nebula near the center is an especially dense cloud.
PIA14103:
Blowin' in the Stellar Wind
Full Resolution:     TIFF (145.5 MB)     JPEG (3.896 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-06-09 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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Best known as a swan winging its way across the night, the constellation Cygnus is easily seen in the northern hemisphere's summertime sky. NASA's WISE telescope captured this image of a huge complex of star-forming clouds and stellar clusters.
PIA14102:
Star Formation in the Heart of the Swan
Full Resolution:     TIFF (113.2 MB)     JPEG (2.875 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-05-26 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows what lies near the sword of the constellation Orion -- an active stellar nursery containing thousands of young stars and developing protostars. Many will turn out like our sun.
PIA14101:
Stars Adorn Orion's Sword
Full Resolution:     TIFF (57.96 MB)     JPEG (859.1 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-05-05 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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This image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, shows three different nebulae located in the constellation of Perseus. NGC 1491 is seen on the right side of the image, SH 2-209 is on the left side and BFS 34 lies in between.
PIA14092:
Nebulae: Not as Close as They Appear
Full Resolution:     TIFF (46.7 MB)     JPEG (1.215 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-04-25 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is a little like the Vincent van Gogh of the infrared sky, providing the world with picturesque images of the cosmos by representing infrared light through color. This image is the nebula NGC 2174.
PIA14091:
The 'van Gogh' of the Infrared Sky
Full Resolution:     TIFF (103.7 MB)     JPEG (2.38 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-04-14 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, shows a giant nebula around Lambda Orionis, inflating Orion's head to huge proportions.
PIA14040:
Orion's Big Head Revealed in Infrared
Full Resolution:     TIFF (696.8 MB)     JPEG (24.25 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-04-13 Herschel Space Observatory
 Infrared Telescope
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Dense filaments of gas in the IC5146 interstellar cloud can be seen clearly in this image taken in infrared light by the Herschel space observatory. The blue region is a stellar nursery known as the Cocoon nebula.
PIA14038:
Star-Studded Strings around Cocoon Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (7.543 MB)     JPEG (112 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-04-08 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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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.
PIA13995:
WISE Eyes Evolution of Massive Stars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (122.9 MB)     JPEG (3.002 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-04-01 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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A rich collection of colorful astronomical objects is revealed in this picturesque image of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Explorer; the cloud is found rising above the plane of the Milky Way in the night sky.
PIA13974:
WISE Unveils a Treasure Trove of Beauty
Full Resolution:     TIFF (312.1 MB)     JPEG (4.682 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-03-17 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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This image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, features a region of star birth wrapped in a blanket of dust, colored green in this infrared view.
PIA13933:
A Celestial Shamrock
Full Resolution:     TIFF (7.693 MB)     JPEG (399.7 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-03-04 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, captured this image of a star-forming cloud of dust and gas located in the constellation of Monoceros. Sh2-284 is relatively isolated at the very end of an outer spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy.
PIA13904:
Pointing a Finger at Star Formation
Full Resolution:     TIFF (33.6 MB)     JPEG (1.106 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-03-01 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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This large mosaic image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, features the wreckage of an exploded star, as well as other stars nearing the end of their lives.
PIA13885:
Beyond the Veil
Full Resolution:     TIFF (7.693 MB)     JPEG (703.6 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-02-19 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer 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.
PIA13459:
Supergiant Star Near Giraffe's Hind Foot
Full Resolution:     TIFF (39.73 MB)     JPEG (1.08 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-02-10 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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This view of the North America nebula combines both visible and infrared light observations, taken by the Digitized Sky Survey and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Clusters of young stars (about one million years old) can be found throughout the image.
PIA13845:
North America Nebula in Different Lights
Full Resolution:     TIFF (138.7 MB)     JPEG (7.547 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-02-10 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
MIPS
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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.
PIA13844:
An Extended Stellar Family
Full Resolution:     TIFF (138.7 MB)     JPEG (5.829 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-02-10 Spitzer Space Telescope
 IRAC
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This 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.
PIA13843:
The Case of the Disappearing Continent
Full Resolution:     TIFF (138.7 MB)     JPEG (8.163 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-01-06 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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This colorful picture is a mosaic of Messier 8, or the Lagoon nebula, taken by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. This nebula is composed of clouds of gas and dust in which new stars are forming.
PIA13453:
WISE Catches the Lagoon Nebula in Center of Action
Full Resolution:     TIFF (50.31 MB)     JPEG (1.968 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-01-04 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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This image captured by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer 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.
PIA13452:
WISE Spies a Galactic Neighbor
Full Resolution:     TIFF (48 MB)     JPEG (1.646 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2010-12-22 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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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.
PIA13451:
Chasing Chickens in the Lambda Centauri Nebula
Full Resolution:     TIFF (41.07 MB)     JPEG (1.406 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2010-12-09 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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This oddly colorful nebula is the supernova remnant IC 443 as seen by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer; the Jellyfish nebula is particularly interesting because it provides a look into how stellar explosions interact with their environment.
PIA13449:
An Explosion of Infrared Color
Full Resolution:     TIFF (50.31 MB)     JPEG (1.217 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2010-12-02 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
 WISE Telescope
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This mosaic image taken by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, features three nebulae that are part of the giant Orion Molecular Cloud. Included in this view are the Flame nebula, the Horsehead nebula and NGC 2023.
PIA13448:
A Flame in Orion's Belt
Full Resolution:     TIFF (56.4 MB)     JPEG (974.2 kB)
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