The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades, seem to float on a bed of feathers in a new infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Clouds of dust sweep around the stars, swaddling them in a cushiony veil. The Pleiades, located more than 400 light-years away in the Taurus...
Ring Around a Magnetar
This image shows a ghostly ring extending seven light-years across around the corpse of a massive star. The collapsed star, called a magnetar, is located at the exact center of this image.
Ghostly Ring Around a Magnetar
This image shows a ghostly ring extending seven light-years across around the corpse of a massive star. The collapsed star, called a magnetar, is located at the exact center of this image.
The incredible images from NASA's "Great Observatories" and many other NASA space- and ground-based telescopes are now available to the public in an educational and innovative manner through the release of the WorldWide Telescope software from Microsoft.
Globular Cluster Omega Centauri Looks Radiant in Infrared
A cluster brimming with millions of stars glistens like an iridescent opal in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Called Omega Centauri, the sparkling orb of stars is like a miniature galaxy.
Globular Cluster Omega Centauri Looks Radiant in Infrared
A cluster brimming with millions of stars glistens like an iridescent opal in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Called Omega Centauri, the sparkling orb of stars is like a miniature galaxy.
Water Vapor in the Young Planetary Disk of AS 205N
This plot of infrared data shows the strong signature of water vapor in the disk of gas and dust surrounding a young star.
A Young Stellar Disk around AA Tauri
This plot of infrared data shows the signatures of water vapor and simple organic molecules in the disk of gas and dust surrounding a young star.
This artist's concept shows a multitude of tiny diamonds next to a hot star. Diamonds are abundant in space, but they are tiny - about 25000 times smaller than a grain of sand.
This artist's concept illustrates the idea that rocky, terrestrial worlds like the inner planets in our Solar System may be plentiful, and diverse, in the Universe.
One of the Youngest and Brightest Galaxies in the Early Universe
A massive cluster of yellowish galaxies is seemingly caught in a spider web of eerily distorted background galaxies. The Spitzer Space Telescope helped Hubble detect galaxies red-shifted into the infrared.
Young Stars in Their Baby Blanket of Dust: Rho Ophiuchi
Newborn stars peek out from beneath their natal blanket of dust in this dynamic image of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Young Stars in Their Baby Blanket of Dust: Rho Ophiuchi
Newborn stars peek out from beneath their natal blanket of dust in this dynamic image of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Young Stars in Their Baby Blanket of Dust
Newborn stars peek out from beneath their natal blanket of dust in this dynamic image of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Young Stars in Their Baby Blanket of Dust: Rho Ophiuchi
Newborn stars peek out from beneath their natal blanket of dust in this dynamic image of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
In visible light, this plastic bag is opaque, and the man's hands cannot be seen. His glasses, on the other hand, are transparent and we can see his eyes.
Infrared light passes straight through this black plastic bag and we can see the man's hands, but his glasses, which are transparent to visible light, are completely opaque here in the infrared.
Infrared light can pass right through objects that stop visible light entirely. In the image on the left, the plastic bag stops visible light, and so we can't see the man's hands, but in the infrared image on the right, the bag seems to disappear, and his hands are visible.
Infrared light can pass right through objects that stop visible light entirely. In the image on the left, the plastic bag stops visible light, and so we can't see the man's hands. In the infrared image on the right, the bag seems to disappear and his hands are visible.
Infrared light passes straight through this black plastic bag and we can see the man's hands, but his glasses, which are transparent to visible light, are completely opaque here in the infrared.
In visible light, this plastic bag is opaque, and the man's hands cannot be seen. His glasses, on the other hand, are transparent and we can see his eyes.
Celestial Cities and the Roads That Connect Them
New observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggest that galaxies prefer to raise stars in cosmic suburbia rather than in "big cities."
Slender Galaxy with Robust Black Hole
This plot of data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope indicates that a flat, spiral galaxy called NGC 3621 has a feeding, supermassive black hole lurking within it.
This artist's concept illustrates the two types of spiral galaxies that populate our universe: those with plump middles, or central bulges (upper left), and those lacking the bulge (foreground).
Accretion Disk Around Binary Star System WZ Sge
An artist's concept of the accretion disk around the binary star system WZ Sge. Using data from Kitt Peak National Observatory and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, a new picture of this system has emerged which includes an asymmetric outer disk of dark matter.
Dusty Celestial Ornaments Dusty Celestial Ornaments: Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
These beautiful bulbs might look like they belong on Christmas trees, but they are actually different Spitzer Space Telescope views of the blown-out remains of a stellar explosion, or supernova. Cassiopeia A is a remnant of such a titanic explosion.
Dusty Celestial Ornaments Dusty Celestial Ornament: Supernova Cassiopeian A in Infrared
This infrared view of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A highlights argon in the nebula.
Cosmic Ornament of Gas and Dust: Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
This beautiful bulb might look like a Christmas ornament but it is the blown-out remains of a stellar explosion, or supernova. The remains, called Cassiopeia A, are shown here in an infrared composite from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Dissecting the Wake of a Supernova Explosion: Cassiopeia A
The elements and molecules that flew out of the Cassiopeia A star when it exploded about 300 years ago can be seen clearly for the first time in this plot of data, called a spectrum, taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Dusty Celestial Ornaments Dusty Celestial Ornaments: Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A, a supernova remnant, is pictured in the infrared, highlighting silicon gas deep in the interior of the nebula.
Dusty Celestial Ornaments Dusty Celestial Ornaments: Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A in the Infrared
This infrared view of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A highlights dust in the nebula.
This artist's rendition illustrates a rare galaxy that is extremely dusty, and produces radio jets. Scientists suspect that these galaxies are created when two smaller galaxies merge.
The "lifestyles" of 75 neighboring galaxies are illuminated in this poster from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Scientists say this fresh perspective of our cosmic neighborhood provides valuable insights into growth process of galaxies at a glance.
A Classic Beauty: M51, The Whirlpool Galaxy Across the Spectrum
M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, is shown in X-Ray, Ultraviolet, Visible and Infrared light from Chandra, GALEX, Hubble and Spitzer.
An X-Ray Santa Claus in Orion
This composite image of the Orion nebula combines NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope infrared light with X-ray light to probe the process of star formation.
Baby Picture of our Solar System: The Spinning Top Star in Infrared
A rare, infrared view of a developing star and its flaring jets taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows us what our own solar system might have looked like billions of years ago.
Spinning Top Star
A rare, infrared view of a developing star and its flaring jets taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (right) shows us what our own solar system might have looked like billions of years ago.
Spinning Top Star: Visible Light View
A rare, infrared view of a developing star and its flaring jets taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows us what our own solar system might have looked like billions of years ago. In this visible light, this star and its surrounding regions are surrounded by dark dust.
Planets Forming Around a Sun-like Star
This is an artist's rendition of the one-million-year-old star system called UX Tau A, located approximately 450 light-years away. Observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope showed a gap in the dusty planet-forming disk swirling around the system's central Sun-like star, most likely carved...
Bubbly Little Star: HH 46/47
A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a baby star 1,140 light-years away from Earth blowing two massive "bubbles." But instead of bubble gum, this youngster, called HH 46/47, is using powerful jets of gas to make bubbles in outer space.
Stacks of Light
These two images show "stacked" Chandra images for two different classes of distant, massive galaxy detected with Spitzer. Image stacking is a procedure used to detect emission from objects that is too faint to be detected in single images. To enhance the signal, images of these faint objects...
A growing black hole, called a quasar, can be seen at the center of a faraway galaxy in this artist's concept. Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer and Chandra space telescopes discovered swarms of similar quasars hiding in dusty galaxies in the distant universe.
Cosmic Caper Unfolds in Infrared: Spectrum of Stolen Hot Gas in 3C 326
This plot of data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveals vast reservoirs of hot gas in a galaxy about a billion light-years away called 3C 326 North. The gas is hot both figuratively and literally: it was stolen from another galaxy, and, during its transfer from one galaxy to another, it was...
To Catch a Galactic Thief: Galaxy 3C 326
New observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveal a distant, massive galaxy (3C 326) in the act of ripping gas from a small neighbor galaxy.
Dust in the Wind of Quasar PG2112+059
An Infrared spectrum taken by Spitzer shows dust in the wind of a distant quasar. Where did all this dust come from in the early universe?
Dust in the Quasar Wind
Dusty grains -- including tiny specks of the minerals found in the gemstones peridot, sapphires, and rubies -- can be seen blowing in the winds of a quasar, or active black hole, in this artist's concept. The quasar is at the center of a distant galaxy.
Birth of an Earth-like Planet
This artist's conception shows a binary-star, or two-star, system, called HD 113766, where astronomers suspect a rocky Earth-like planet is forming around one of the stars. At approximately 10 to 16 million years old, astronomers suspect this star is at just the right age for forming rocky planets.
Infrared Coronet Cluster
The Corona Australis region (containing, at its heart, the Coronet cluster) is one of the nearest and most active regions of ongoing star formation. The Spitzer image shows young stars forming out of the surrounding dusty nebula.
The Coronet Cluster in X-Ray and Infrared
The Corona Australis region (containing, at its heart, the Coronet cluster) is one of the nearest and most active regions of ongoing star formation. This composite X-ray and infrared image catches star formation in the act.
Hubble Ultra Deep Field
In this image of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, several objects are identified as the faintest, most compact galaxies ever observed in the distant universe.
Hubble and Spitzer Uncover Smallest Galaxy Building Blocks
In this image of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, several objects are identified as the faintest, most compact galaxies ever observed in the distant universe.
Infrared View of M16, the Eagle Nebula
This infrared image of the Eagle Nebula shows swirls of dust amid a field of stars, as well as the famous "pillars of creation" seen by Hubble.
Steamy Solar System (Annotated)
This diagram illustrates the earliest journeys of water in a young, forming star system.
Steamy Solar System
This diagram illustrates the earliest journeys of water in a young, forming star system.
Planet-Forming Disk Around a Baby Star
This artist's concept shows a young star surrounded by a dusty protoplanetary disk. This disk contains the raw material that can form planets as the star system matures.
Spitzer Sees Water Loud and Clear in a Young Solar System
This plot of infrared data, called a spectrum, shows the strong signature of water vapor deep within the core of an embryonic star system, called NGC 1333-IRAS 4B.
Spitzer Celebrates Fourth Anniversary with Celestial Fireworks
A newly expanded image of the Helix nebula lends a festive touch to the fourth anniversary of the launch of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Dust in Hell
Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have detected dust grains mingling with blazing hot gas at temperatures of 10 million degrees Kelvin (about 10 million degrees Celsius, or 17 million degrees Fahrenheit) in an area surrounding the elliptical-shaped galaxy called NGC 5044.
Stellar Families: Young Stars in Serpens
The Spitzer Space Telescope reveals embedded young stars in the Serpens South star cluster.
'Fantastic Four' Galaxies (with planet)
This artist's concept shows what the night sky might look like from a hypothetical planet around a star tossed out of an ongoing four-way collision between big galaxies (yellow blobs). NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope spotted this "quadruple merger" of galaxies within a larger cluster of galaxies...
Fearsome Foursome: A Huge Galactic Merger
One of the biggest galaxy collisions ever observed is taking place at the center of this image. The four yellow blobs in the middle are large galaxies that have begun to tangle and ultimately merge into a single gargantuan galaxy.