Hubble Records Clash of the Titans

Hubble Servicing Mission 4 Early Release Observations

These four images are among the first observations made by the new Wide Field Camera 3 aboard the upgraded NASA Hubble Space Telescope. The image at top left shows NGC 6302, a butterfly-shaped nebula surrounding a dying star. At top right is a picture of a clash among members of...

NGC 6302

Hubble WFC3 image of NGC 6302, planetary nebula in Scorpius

Stephan's Quintet

Galaxy group Stephan's Quintet is located in the constellation Pegasus.

Omega Centauri

Globular Cluster Omega Centauri imaged with Hubble's WFC3 detector

Jet in Carina

Jet in the Carina Nebula taken with Hubble's WFC3 detector

Butterfly Emerges from Stellar Demise in Planetary Nebula NGC 6302

This celestial object looks like a delicate butterfly. But it is far from serene. What resemble dainty butterfly wings are actually roiling 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 – fast...

Compass and Scale Image of NGC 6302

Stars Bursting to Life in the Chaotic Carina Nebula

These two images of a huge pillar of star birth demonstrate how observations taken in visible and in infrared light by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope reveal dramatically different and complementary views of an object. The pictures demonstrate one example of the broad wavelength...

Jet in Carina: WFC3 UVIS

Hubble WFC3 image of a stellar jet in Carina, observed in ultraviolet/visible light

Jet in Carina: WFC3 IR

Hubble WFC3 image of a stellar jet in Carina, observed in infrared light

Jet in Carina: WFC3 UVIS/IR Composite

Hubble WFC3 image of a stellar jet in Carina, observed in ultraviolet/visible/infrared light

Jet in Carina: WFC3 UVIS Full Field

Full-field image of a stellar jet in the Carina Nebula, imaged by Hubble's WFC3/UVIS detector

Compass and Scale Image of Jet in Carina (WFC3 UVIS and IR)

Ground Image and Constellation Region Around Carina Nebula

This is an Akira Fujii constellation image of the Carina constellation with Digitized Sky Survey and Malin image overlays. This image was used in a zoom animation highlighting the "Jet in Carina" Hubble release image.

DSS Image of the Carina Nebula

This is a Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) image of the Carina nebula with DSS crop and Malin image overlays. This image was used in a zoom animation highlighting the "Jet in Carina" Hubble release image.

Cropped DSS Image of the Constellation Cetus

This is a Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) image of the Cetus constellation and region around Abell 370 with Hubble image overlay. This image was used in a zoom animation highlighting the Abell 370 Hubble release image.

Compass and Scale Image of Markarian 817

WFPC2 Image of Eta Carinae

WFPC2 image of the variable star Eta Carinae

Eta Car STIS Spectrum

STIS spectrum of the variable star Eta Carinae

Cetus Constellation Image

This is an Akira Fujii constellation image of the constellation Cetus with Digitized Sky Survey image overlay and galaxy cluster location marker. This image was used in a zoom animation highlighting the Abell 370 Hubble release image.

Supernova Remnant LMC N132D

Supernova remnant N132D in the Large Magellanic Cloud

DSS Image of the Constellation Cetus

This is a Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) image of the Cetus constellation with DSS crop overlay. This image was used in a zoom animation highlighting the Abell 370 Hubble release image.

Compass and Scale Image of Abell 370

Digitized Sky Survey Image of PKS 0405-123

This is a Digitized Sky Survey/UK Schmidt image of the region around PKS 0405-123 taken at the Anglo-Australian Telescope.

Collision Leaves Giant Jupiter Bruised

This Hubble picture, taken on July 23, is the first full-disk natural-color image of Jupiter made with Hubble's new camera, the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). It is the sharpest visible-light picture of Jupiter since the New Horizons spacecraft flew by that planet in 2007. Each...

Compass and Scale Image of NGC 6217

Compass and Scale Image for Jupiter

Details of the Hubble Abell 370 Image

Details of ACS Hubble image of galaxy cluster Abell 370

Probing the Last Gasps of the Doomed Star Eta Carinae

The signature balloon-shaped clouds of gas blown from a pair of massive stars called Eta Carinae have tantalized astronomers for decades. Eta Carinae has a volatile temperament, prone to violent outbursts over the past 200 years. Observations by the newly repaired Space...

Compass and Scale Image of Eta Carinae

COS Spectrum of Supernova Remnant LMC N132D

Spectrum of the supernova remnant LMC N132D taken with Hubble's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph.

DSS Image of the Pegasus Constellation

This is a Digitized Sky Survey image of the Pegasus constellation with DSS crop and galaxy group location marker. This image was used in the video zoom of Stephan's Quintet.

Markarian 817

Active galaxy Markarian 817

Cropped DSS Image of the Pegasus Constellation

This is a Digitized Sky Survey image of the Pegasus constellation and the region around Stephan's Quintet with the Hubble image location overlay. This image was used in the video zoom of Stephan's Quintet.

Gravitational Lens Detail in Abell 370

Single-Filter Jupiter Image (F437)

Jupiter in single filter F437W, imaged with the WFC3/UVIS detector.

Compass and Scale Image of PKS 0405-123

Gravitational Lensing in Galaxy Cluster Abell 370

Hubble Space Telescope's newly repaired Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) has peered nearly 5 billion light-years away to resolve intricate details in the galaxy cluster Abell 370. Abell 370 is one of the very first galaxy clusters where astronomers observed the phenomenon of...

Fingerprinting the Distant Universe Using the Light from Quasar PKS 0405-123

Using a distant quasar as a cosmic flashlight, a new instrument aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has begun probing the invisible, skeletal structure of the universe. Called the cosmic web, it is the diffuse, faint gas located in the space between galaxies. More than half of...

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 6217

This is the first image of a celestial object taken with the newly repaired Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The camera was restored to operation during the STS-125 servicing mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. The barred spiral galaxy NGC 6217 was photographed on...

PKS 0405-123 COS Spectrum

Spectrum of PKS 0405-123 quasar, showing evidence of intergalactic clouds at different distances

Capturing the Spectacular Outflow from Markarian 817

Rings of brilliant blue stars encircle the bright, active core of this spiral galaxy, whose monster black hole is blasting material into space at 9 million miles an hour. Viewed nearly face-on, the galaxy, called Markarian 817, shows intense star-forming regions and dark bands...

Compass and Scale Image of N132D

Markarian 817 COS Spectrum

Comparison of Markarian 817 spectra taken with the COS detector in 2009 and GHRS detector in 1997

Probing the Tattered Remains of Supernova Remnant N132D

The wispy, glowing, magenta structures in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image are the remains of a star 10 to 15 times the mass of the Sun that we would have seen exploding as a supernova 3,000 years ago. The remnant's fast-moving gas is plowing into the surrounding gas of...

Ground Image of the Carina Nebula

This is a UK Schmidt image of Carina Nebula. This image was used in a zoom animation highlighting the "Jet in Carina" Hubble release image.

Colorful Stars Galore Inside Globular Star Cluster Omega Centauri

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope snapped this panoramic view of a colorful assortment of 100,000 stars residing in the crowded core of a giant star cluster. The image reveals a small region inside the massive globular cluster Omega Centauri, which boasts nearly 10 million stars....

Compass and Scale Image of Omega Centauri

Ground Image and Constellation Region Around Omega Centauri

This is an Akira Fujii constellation image of the Centaurus constellation with Digitized Sky Survey and Malin image overlays. This image was used in a zoom animation highlighting the Omega Centauri Hubble release image.

DSS Image of Omega Centauri

This is a Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) image of Omega Centauri with DSS crop and Malin image overlays. This image was used in a zoom animation highlighting the Omega Centauri Hubble release image.

Ground Image of Omega Centauri

This is an image from Fair Dinkum Skies, Western Australia (an affiliation of New Mexico Skies and Pingelly Heights Observatory). This image was used in a zoom animation highlighting the Omega Centauri Hubble release image.

Ground Image of Omega Centauri

This is a UK Schmidt image of Omega Centauri. This image was used in a zoom animation highlighting the Omega Centauri Hubble release image.

Hubble ACS Image of Omega Centauri

This is a Hubble Advanced Camera for Surveys image of the globular star cluster Omega Centauri. This image was used in a zoom animation highlighting the Omega Centauri Hubble release image.

Galactic Wreckage in Stephan's Quintet

A clash among members of a famous galaxy quintet reveals an assortment of stars across a wide color range, from young, blue stars to aging, red stars. This portrait of Stephan's Quintet, also known as Hickson Compact Group 92, was taken by the new Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3)...

Compass and Scale Image of Stephan's Quintet

Pegasus Constellation Image

This is an Akira Fujii constellation image of the Pegasus constellation with DSS image overlay and galaxy group location marker. This image was used in the video zoom of Stephan's Quintet.

Hubble's Recommissioning Process

Scientists have concluded the checkout period for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and now are revealing images showcasing the power of the much-improved observatory. This video chronicles the checkout period after Hubble's Servicing Mission 4. Also included is the unexpected...

Hubble Captures Star Birth in the Carina Nebula

Scientists have concluded the checkout period for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and now are revealing images showcasing the power of the much-improved observatory. In this zoom sequence, one of Hubble's new instruments, the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), sets its eyes on a stellar...

Hubble Resolves Myriad Stars in Dense Cluster

Scientists have concluded the checkout period for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and are now revealing images showcasing the power of the much-improved observatory. This zoom into the globular star cluster Omega Centauri converges onto the Hubble Wide Field Camera 3's panoramic...

Faraway Galaxy Cluster Nets Dark Matter Evidence

Scientists have concluded the checkout period for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and now are revealing images showcasing the power of the much-improved observatory. This zoom into galaxy cluster Abell 370 brings us to a Hubble image that features a prominent arc near the...

Supernova Explosion Animation

This video animation shows the explosion of a supermassive star. Stars greater than eight times the mass of our Sun will self-detonate as supernovae. Supernovae can briefly outshine an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months. During this short...

Active Galactic Nucleus Animation

This animation provides a close-up look at the behavior of a central black hole in the nucleus of an active galaxy. An accretion disk of infalling material surrounds a central black hole that may be millions or billions of times the mass of our Sun. Some of the superheated...

Hubble Captures Butterfly Emerging from Stellar Demise in Planetary Nebula NGC 6302

Scientists have concluded the checkout period for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and are now revealing images showcasing the power of the much-improved observatory. This is a pan sequence of the planetary nebula NGC 6302 (aka the Butterfly Nebula), located 3,800 light-years away,...