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Hubble’s Galaxies

A collection of galaxy images from the Hubble Space Telescope.

This beautiful image of Messier 95 (M95) includes data from two different Hubble observing programs. The first looked at connections...
A face on spiral galaxy fills the view. Its bright, barred core is at the center of the image. The galaxy’s core is bisected by reddish-brown dust that extends into its spiral arms. Bright pink-white star forming regions dot the spiral arms.
Rich with detail, the spiral galaxy NGC 1309 shines in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. NGC 1309 is about...
A top-down view of a spiral galaxy, showing its brightly-shining center, its broad spiral arms, and the faint halo around its disk, as well as distant galaxies and stars on a dark background. Large blue clouds of gas speckled with small stars and strands of dark dust swirl around the galaxy’s disk. A couple of the background galaxies are large enough that their own swirling spiral arms are visible.
A beautiful but skewed spiral galaxy dazzles in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. The galaxy, called Arp 184 or...
A spiral galaxy seen at a skewed angle. Its center is a bright spot radiating light. A thick, stormy disk of material surrounds this bright center, with swirling strands of dark dust and bright spots of star formation strewn through the disk. A large spiral arm extends from the disk toward the viewer. Some foreground stars are visible atop the galaxy.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured in exquisite detail a face-on view of a remarkable-looking galaxy. NGC 5335 is categorized as...
Barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335 observed by the Hubble Space Telescope takes up the majority of the view. At its center is a milky yellow, flattened oval that extends bottom left to top. Within the oval is a bright central region that looks circular, with the very center the brightest. In the bright central region is what looks like a bar, extending from top left to bottom right. Around this is a thick swath of blue stars speckled with white regions. Multiple arms wrap up and around in a counterclockwise direction, becoming fainter the farther out they are. Both the white core and the spiral arms are intertwined with dark streaks of dust. The background of space is black. Thousands of distant galaxies in an array of colors are speckled throughout.
The gargantuan galaxy LEDA 1313424 is rippling with nine star-filled rings after an “arrow” — a far smaller blue dwarf...
A large galaxy is at center, and a significantly smaller galaxy is to its left. The large galaxy, nicknamed the Bullseye, is mostly face-on, but the top appears slightly tilted away. It has several rings. Its circular core is bright white at the very center, but light yellow overall. Going outward, there are gaps between the rings. The core is surrounded by two slightly lighter yellow rings, which also appear to be overlapping. The next ring is slightly more transparent and yellow. The two or three rings that are farther out are bluer, sometimes with blue clumps. The widest ring is also blue, but also the most transparent. At 9 o’clock is a small dwarf galaxy. It is about the same size as the yellow core of the Bullseye. The dwarf galaxy is blue, with many dots. It looks like the edge of the Bullseye might touch the dwarf galaxy. Both galaxies are set on the black background of space, which is dotted with a range of galaxies in different shapes, colors, and sizes, along with one foreground star at left.
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the glorious spiral galaxy NGC 5643, which is located roughly 40 million light-years...
A close-up of a spiral galaxy, seen face-on. Its center is a bright white point, surrounded by a large yellowish oval with thin lines of dust swirling in it. From the sides of the oval emerge two bright spiral arms which wind through the round disk of the galaxy, filled with shining pink spots where stars are forming and more dark reddish dust. Many stars are visible in the foreground, over and around the galaxy.
The sparkling scene depicted in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is of the spiral galaxy NGC 5248, located 42...
A close-in, face-on view of a spiral galaxy. It has two large arms that curve outward from the round, bright, central region to nearly the corners of the image. Channels of dark reddish dust that blocks light line the arms while bright pink, glowing points denote where stars are forming. Beyond its prominent spiral arms, the galaxy’s oval disk is generally cloudy in form and speckled with stars. A black background is visible behind it.
This new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the broad and sweeping spiral galaxy NGC 4731. It lies...
A close-in view of a barred spiral galaxy. The bright, glowing bar crosses the center of the galaxy, with spiral arms curving away from the bar’s ends and continuing out of view. Bright patches of light where stars are forming surround the bar, which also holds dark lines of dust. The galaxy’s clouds of gas spread out from its arms and bar, giving way to a dark background with some foreground stars and small, distant galaxies.
This image shows the jewel-bright spiral galaxy NGC 4689, which lies 54 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma...
A close-up view of a spiral galaxy fills most of the scene. It has a bright, glowing spot at its core, broad spiral arms that hold many dark threads of dust, and pink glowing spots across the disk that mark areas of star formation. A faint halo that bleeds into the dark background surrounds the galaxy’s disk.
This image from the Hubble Space Telescope features the galaxy LEDA 48062 in the constellation Perseus. LEDA 48062 is the...
Right of center: faint, scattered collection of cool stars, an irregular galaxy. lower left: disk-shaped galaxy nearly edge-on lies surrounded by a wide glow. smaller galaxies in various orientations cluster around the two. black background.
This luminous image shows Z 229-15, a celestial object that lies about 390 million light-years from Earth in the constellation...
A spiral galaxy. It has two almost-straight arms coming from the left and right of the core that meet a starry ring around the galaxy�s edge. The ring is bluish in color, and the core is golden and shining. A faint halo of light also surrounds the galaxy. There is one bright star with many diffraction spikes, and a few small stars all around on a black background.
This image shows JO204, a ‘jellyfish galaxy’ so named for the bright tendrils of gas that appear in this image...
A spiral galaxy in the center is tilted almost edge-on. The bright core and spiral arms can just be seen from the top. A slight glow surrounds it. Below, strands made of bright blue patches trail down like tentacles. On the left it is just touched by a second, faint and dim galaxy. The background is very dark, with only a few other stars and tiny galaxies visible.
A menagerie of interesting astronomical finds are visible in this image from the Hubble Space Telescope. In addition to several...
A collection of oval-shaped, elliptical galaxies. The largest has two neighboring bright spots in the core. It and two others look like galaxy clusters, with surrounding smaller galaxies. On the left edge of the image are two bright stars with four long spikes, and on the right edge is a small ring-shaped galaxy. Smaller stars and galaxies are spread evenly across the dark background.
The barred spiral galaxy UGC 678 takes center stage in this image from the Hubble Space Telescope. The spectacular galaxy...
A large spiral galaxy. It has many narrow arms that are tightly-twisted in the center, but at the ends they point out in different directions. The galaxy’s core glows brightly, while its disc is mostly faint, but with bright blue spots throughout the arms. A few smaller spiral galaxies at varying angles are visible in front, and it is surrounded by other tiny stars and galaxies, on a black background.
The lenticular galaxy NGC 5283 is the subject of this image. NGC 5283 contains an active galactic nucleus, or AGN....
Lower left: Bright-white sphere of stars that is more diffuse toward its edges. Band of brown streaks arcs from the sphere's lower left to upper right where a face-on barred spiral galaxy shines in the distance. Black background dotted with stars.
The jellyfish galaxy JW39 hangs serenely in this image. This galaxy lies over 900 million light-years away in the constellation...
A spiral galaxy. It is large in the center with a lot of detail visible. The core glows brightly and is surrounded by concentric rings of dark and light dust. The spiral arms are thick and puffy with grey dust and glowing blue areas of star formation. They wrap around the galaxy to form a ring. Part of the arm is drawn out into a dark thread above the galaxy, and dust from the arm trails off to the right.
The tranquil spiral galaxy UGC 12295 basks leisurely in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy lies...
A broad spiral galaxy seen directly face-on. It has two bright spiral arms that extend from a bar, which shines from the very center. Additional fainter arms branch off from these, studded with bright blue patches of star formation. Small, distant galaxies are dotted around it, on a dark background.
The highly irregular galaxy ESO 174-1, which resembles a lonely, hazy cloud against a backdrop of bright stars, dominates this...
A galaxy, large and occupying most of the view from the center. The whole galaxy is made of smooth, diffuse light. In the center it is brighter and bluer, fading to a pale gray halo that is faint and see-through. The light forms an arm on one side that curls around the top. A couple threads of dark dust cross the center. Many stars shine around the galaxy, on a black background.
The lenticular galaxy NGC 6684 bathes this image in a pale light. Captured with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, this...
A galaxy, large and occupying most of the view from the center. The whole galaxy is made of smooth, diffuse light. The galaxy is surrounded by a smoky gray halo. Many stars shine around the galaxy, on a black background.
The jellyfish galaxy JO206 trails across this image, showcasing a colorful star-forming disk surrounded by a pale, luminous cloud of...
A spiral galaxy that is tilted partially toward us. Its inner disc is bright and colorful, with bluish and reddish spots of star formation throughout the arms. An outer disc of pale, dim dust surrounds it. It has many arms, which are being pulled away from the disc, down and to the right. They stretch into long, faint trails that cross the image. The background is dark and mostly empty, with three bright stars.
This dream-like image features the galaxy known as NGC 3156. It is a lenticular galaxy, meaning that it falls somewhere...
A large lenticular galaxy. It appears as faint, gray, concentric ovals that grow progressively brighter towards the bright core and fades away at the edge. Two threads of dark reddish-brown dust cross the galaxy’s disk, near its center. The background is black and dotted with dozens of stars and small galaxies of different colors and shapes.
This glittering image shows the spiral galaxy IC 5332, which lies about 30 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor,...
A close-in view of a spiral galaxy. We see it face-on, showing its circular shape and tightly winding spiral arms. The galaxy glows brightly in the center and dims to cool colors toward the edge. Dark, faint filaments of dust and brightly glowing pink and orange bubbles of star formation mark the face of the galaxy.
This Hubble image displays NGC 2814, an irregular galaxy that lies about 85 million light years from Earth. The galaxy...
An irregular galaxy, a narrow streak of stars crossed by faint dust lanes. A bright glow surrounds it, appearing like a beam of light in the center of a dark background. A scatter of small, distant galaxies and a single, bright star surround the galaxy.
This image features a bright spiral galaxy known as MCG-01-24-014, which is located about 275 million light-years from Earth. In...
A spiral galaxy. It appears to be almost circular and seen face-on, with two prominent spiral arms winding out from a glowing core. It is centered in the frame as if a portrait. Most of the background is black, with only tiny, distant galaxies, but there are two large bright stars in the foreground, one blue and one red, directly above the galaxy.
NGC 685 takes center stage amid faintly twinkling stars on an inky black background. This galaxy is clearly a barred...
A face-on spiral galaxy with bright, blue-white spiral arms and dark, reddish-brown dust lanes. A bright-white bar of stars extends through the center of the galaxy. Small, more distant, reddish galaxies are visible in the background.
Hubble has captured the festive bundle of lights known as UGC 8091. UGC 8091, also known as GR 8, lies...
A field of galaxies. UGC 8091 is at the top and center of the image. It appears as a haze of stars through which more distant galaxies are visible. Two, bright, pinkish-red nebulae are also visible.
New and old stars alike twinkle in the dusty spiral arms of NGC 1087. Located 80 million light-years away in...
This nearly face-on spiral galaxy has bright blue-white and pink regions outlined by dark, rusty-brown dust lanes. A small, bright-white bar of stars stretches horizontally across the image’s center at the galaxy’s heart.
Patches of bright pink and wisps of dark red paint the foreground of this new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image....
Splotches of bright-pink and blue-white fill the lower half of the image. A bright bar of white stars extends downward from top-center toward the left. Random areas of dusty clouds form dark streams against the bright backdrop.
Bright blue spiral arms twist around the bright-white center of this starry galaxy. This new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image...
A nearly face-on spiral galaxy with a bright-white core with two dark, orange-brown dust lanes swirling out from it. Those dust lanes extend into the galaxy’s spiral arms where bright, blue-white pockets of stars and hazy clouds define the spiral.
It’s easy to get swept up in the swirling starry arms of this intermediate spiral galaxy, NGC 4654, in the...
A bright spiral galaxy fills the frame from the lower-right to the upper-left. The galaxy is tilted toward us and holds bright blue-white stars and reddish-brown dust lanes that showcase its spiral nature.
A striking orange and blue streak fills this new image from the NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble’s visible and infrared...
Black background dotted with galaxies. A large, nearly edge-on galaxy fills the right side of the frame. Its dusty, orangish-brown silhouette extends from center-bottom to the upper-right while its bright-white, lens-shaped glow extends above and below its dust lane.
Against an inky black backdrop, the blue swirls of spiral galaxy NGC 6956 stand out radiantly. NGC 6956 is a...
Image center: blue, and pinkish-white swirls of the barred spiral galaxy ngc 6956. dark, reddish-brown dust lanes along the inner part of the spiral arms. inky black background with foreground and distant stars and galaxies.
Hubble imaged this lonely spiral galaxy called UGC 9391. The galaxy resides 130 million light-years from Earth in the constellation...
A sparkling galaxy with a bright, glowing core and patchy spiral arms dotted with pale blue star formation.
The galaxy featured in this image has a shape unlike many of the galaxies familiar to Hubble. Its thousands of...
Bright, white haze of stars extending from the lower left to the upper right. pinkish-red star-forming regions dot the galaxy
The magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 2276 looks a bit lopsided in this Hubble Space Telescope snapshot. A bright hub of...
On a black, starry background is a large spiral galaxy filled with streaks of blue and pink. Its right-side arm appears to be breaking away from the rest of the galaxy.
The peculiar spiral galaxy ESO 415-19, which lies around 450 million light-years away, stretches lazily across this image. While the...
A spiral galaxy. It has a bright core with patches of dark dust, and fuzzier, dimmer spiral arms in cooler colors, with spots of bright blue. Long, faint tidal streams stretch from the galaxy’s arms: one up to the top of the frame, one curving down to the bottom-left corner. In the top-right there is a smaller, orange elliptical galaxy. The background is studded with many tiny stars and galaxies.
This image looks at two spiral galaxies, collectively known as Arp 303. The pair, individually called IC 563 (bottom right)...
Upper left: nearly edge on spiral with bright-white core, reddish brown-dust lanes, and pinkish-white spiral arms. lower right: another nearly edge-on spiral sitting perpendicular to the lower right corner.
This image finds the large spiral galaxy, NGC 3227, wrapped in a turbulent gravitational dance with its companion, the elliptical...
Lower left: large spiral galaxy with reddish brown dust lanes extends toward the center of the image. center right: bright elliptical galaxy
This striking pair is an elliptical galaxy NGC 541 and an unusual star-forming, irregular dwarf galaxy known as Minkowski’s Object...
Center, right: bright, white elliptical galaxy with very bright core from which a diffuse glow extends outward. another bright, smaller/more distant galaxy is below it, while bright blue/white irregular is to its lower left.
NGC 3718 is a highly disturbed spiral galaxy with an unusual, warped shape that looks a bit like a plump...
Right two-thirds of the image: nearly spherical galaxy with bright core (center right), horizontal dust lane bisects the galaxy, gas and dust loop extends to lower left of the galaxy