This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows IC 2051, a galaxy in the southern constellation of Mensa (the Table Mountain) lying about 85 million light-years away. It is a spiral galaxy, as evidenced by its characteristic whirling, pinwheeling arms, and it has a bar of stars slicing through its center. To source
Archive | Image of the day
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This Week in NASA History: 3rd Hubble Servicing Mission – Dec. 19, 1999
This week in 1999, space shuttle Discovery, mission STS-103, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. To source
Galaxy Gathering Brings Warmth
As the holiday season approaches, people in the northern hemisphere will gather indoors to stay warm. In keeping with the season, astronomers have studied two groups of galaxies that are rushing together and producing their own warmth. To source
Hubble Views Galaxy’s Dazzling Display
NGC 3175 is located around 50 million light-years away in the constellation of Antlia (the Air Pump). The galaxy can be seen slicing across the frame in this Hubble image, with its mix of bright patches of glowing gas, dark lanes of dust, bright core, and whirling, pinwheeling arms coming together to paint a beautiful […]
The Canadarm2 robotic arm with the Dextre robotic hand
The Canadarm2 robotic arm with the Dextre robotic hand attached seemingly protrudes from the side of the International Space Station. To source
A Treat for the International Space Station's First Crew
In this image from December 2000, the Expedition One crew–the first to permanently inhabit the International Space Station–are about to eat a treat of fresh oranges. To source
Brilliance at Night: The Americas in Darkness
This image of North and South America at night is a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October 2012. To source
Earth's Changing Ice
Meltwater lakes form on the surface of Greenland’s Petermann Glacier. To source
Houston, Texas on the Gulf Coast
Houston, Texas is pictured from the International Space Station at an altitude of 257 miles. To source
Progress 73 Cargo Craft Departs the Station
To make room for the latest cargo craft on Nov. 29, Progress 73 departed the station after undocking from the Pirs docking compartment. To source
Hubble Spots Galaxy’s Dramatic Details
Some of the most dramatic events in the universe occur when certain stars die — and explode catastrophically in the process. When these star deaths, or supernovae, occur, their brightness can rival the light of a whole galaxy. The galaxy NGC 5468, shown in this Hubble image, has hosted a number of these supernovae the […]
Luca Parmitano Works to Upgrade a Cosmic Particle Detector
European Space Agency astronaut and current International Space Station Commander Luca Parmitano and crewmate Andrew Morgan (out of frame) performed the third spacewalk to repair the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. To source
Carina Nebula's 'Mystic Mountain'
Within the tempestuous Carina Nebula lies “Mystic Mountain.” To source