Hubble Images Melnick 34

Melnick 34 as imaged by the first Wide Field and Planetary Camera (WFPC-1). The advantages of working in space above Earth's distorting atmosphere are immediately apparent. Atmospheric blurring is gone and many more stars are visible. However, the effects of the Hubble Telescope's spherical aberration also are apparent. In particular there is a four arc second diameter 'skirt' around the bright star which obscures the view of the sky in its vicinity.