Sher 25: A Pending Supernova?
12.08.1997

No supernova has ever been predicted - yet. These dramatic stellar explosions that destroy stars, that create and disperse the elements that compose people and planets, that light up the night sky, are not so well understood that astronomers can accurately predict when a star will explode - yet. Perhaps Sher 25 will be the first.

Peculiar Arp 87
31.10.2007

A cosmic bridge of stars, gas, and dust stretches for over 75,000 light-years and joins this peculiar pair of galaxies cataloged as Arp 87. The bridge is strong evidence that these two immense star systems have passed close to each other and experienced violent tides induced by mutual gravity.

Arp 87: Merging Galaxies from Hubble
8.12.2015

This dance is to the death. Along the way, as these two large galaxies duel, a cosmic bridge of stars, gas, and dust currently stretches over 75,000 light-years and joins them. The bridge...

APOD: 2023 October 24 Б Arp 87: Merging Galaxies from Hubble
23.10.2023

This dance is to the death. As these two large galaxies duel, a cosmic bridge of stars, gas, and dust currently stretches over 75,000 light-years and joins them. The bridge itself is strong evidence that these two immense star systems have passed close to each other and experienced violent tides induced by mutual gravity.

NGC 2467: From Gas to Stars
30.01.2005

One might guess that the group of stars on the left is responsible for shaping the gas cloud on the right -- but it probably is not. Observations of many of the stars...

Unusual Flashes Toward Globular Cluster M22
3.07.2001

What is causing the unusual flashes behind globular cluster M22? This teaming ball of stars is the brightest globular cluster visible in Earth's northern hemisphere. M22, shown in full in the inset, spans about 50 light years away and lies 8500 light-years toward the constellation of Sagittarius.

Sharpless 171
18.10.2008

Cosmic pillars of cold molecular gas and clouds of dark dust lie within Sharpless 171, a star-forming region some 3,000 light-years away in the royal constellation Cepheus. This tantalizing false-color skyscape spans about 20 light-years across the nebula's bright central region.

IC 1805: Light from the Heart
14.02.2014

Sprawling across almost 200 light-years, emission nebula IC 1805 is a mix of glowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds about 7,500 light-years away in the Perseus spiral arm of our galaxy. Stars were born in this region whose nickname, the Heart Nebula, derives from its Valentine's-Day-appropriate shape.

Spiral Galaxy NGC 2841 Close Up
18.02.2011

A mere 46 million light-years distant, spiral galaxy NGC 2841 can be found in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. This sharp view of the gorgeous island universe shows off a striking yellow nucleus and galactic disk.

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3310 Across the Visible
11.09.2001

The party is still going on in spiral galaxy NGC 3310. Roughly 100 million years ago, NGC 3310 likely collided with a smaller galaxy causing the large spiral galaxy to light up with a tremendous burst of star formation.