This "tornado," designated Herbig-Haro 49/50, is shaped by a cosmic jet packing a powerful punch as it plows through clouds of interstellar gas and dust. The tornado-like feature is actually a shock front created by a jet of material flowing downward through the field of view. A still-forming...
Free-floating Failed Star
This artist's conception portrays a free-floating brown dwarf, or failed star.
Brown Dwarf Backyardigans
The locations of brown dwarfs discovered by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, and mapped by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, are shown in this diagram as red circles.
Carina Nebula
The Tortured Clouds of Eta Carinae
Massive stars can wreak havoc on their surroundings, as can be seen in this new view of the Carina nebula from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope.
Sculptor Galaxy
The Barred Sculptor Galaxy
The spectacular swirling arms and central bar of the Sculptor galaxy are revealed in this new view from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope.
Sculptor Galaxy
The Stars of the Barred Sculptor Galaxy
The spectacular swirling arms and central bar of the Sculptor galaxy are revealed in this new starlight view from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope.
Sculptor Galaxy
The Dusty Barred Sculptor Galaxy
The spectacular dusty swirling arms and central bar of the Sculptor galaxy are revealed in this new view from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope.
Sculptor Galaxy
The Barred Sculptor Galaxy
The spectacular swirling arms and central bar of the Sculptor galaxy are revealed in this new view from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope.
Monster in the Middle: Brightest Cluster Galaxy
This image shows two of the galaxy clusters observed by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and Spitzer Space Telescope missions.
YLW 16A
Dusty Hula Hoop Rings 'Blinking' Stellar Duo
In this artist's impression, a disk of dusty material leftover from star formation girds two young stars like a hula hoop.
Comet ISON
Spitzer Eyes Comet ISON
These images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of Comet ISON were taken on June 13, when ISON was 310 million miles from the sun.
Perseus-Pisces supercluster
Galaxies in Hiding
There are nearly 200 galaxies within the marked circles in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. These are part of the Perseus-Pisces supercluster of galaxies located 250 million light-years away. Normally, galaxies beyond our Milky Way are hidden from view when they happen to fall...
Stars Shoot Jets in Cosmic Playground
Dozens of newborn stars sprouting jets from their dusty cocoons have been spotted in images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. In this view showing a portion of sky near Canis Major, infrared data from Spitzer are green and blue, while longer-wavelength infrared light from NASA's Wide-field...
W39
Bubbles Within Bubbles
This infrared image shows a striking example of what is called a hierarchical bubble structure, in which one giant bubble, carved into the dust of space by massive stars, has triggered the formation of smaller bubbles. The large bubble takes up the central region of the picture while the two...
W3
Life and Death Intermingled
In what may look to some like an undersea image of coral and seaweed, a new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is showing the birth and death of stars. In this view, infrared data from Spitzer are green and blue, while longer-wavelength infrared light from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey...
Perseus-Pisces supercluster
Galaxies in Hiding
There are nearly 200 galaxies in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. These are part of the Perseus-Pisces supercluster of galaxies located 250 million light-years away. Normally, galaxies beyond our Milky Way are hidden from view when they happen to fall behind the plane of our...
W39
Bubbles Within Bubbles (annotated)
This infrared image shows a striking example of what is called a hierarchical bubble structure, in which one giant bubble, carved into the dust of space by massive stars, has triggered the formation of smaller bubbles. The large bubble takes up the central region of the picture while the two...
Iris Nebula
Infrared Iris
This cloud of glowing gas is the Iris nebula, as seen in infrared light by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The main cluster of stars within the nebula is called NGC 7023. It lies 1,300 light-years away in the Cepheus constellation.
Messier 94
Galactic Wheels within Wheels
This infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the double-ringed galaxy Messier 94. Just outside the bright core, a burning ring of star formation glows brightly in the light of warm interstellar dust. Encircling it all is the faint blue glow of starlight forming what was long...
An Astronomer's Fantasy: Planets in the Lab
If astronomers could somehow pull planets out of the sky and analyze them in the laboratory, it might look something like this artistically altered image illustrating new research from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
NGC 602
Taken Under the "Wing" of the Small Magellanic Cloud
Young stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), one of the closest galaxies to our Milky Way.
Infant Stars Peek Out from Dusty Cradles
Dense envelopes of gas and dust surround the fledging stars known as protostars, making their detection difficult until now. The discovery gives scientists a window into the earliest and least understood phases of star formation.
LRLL 54361
Strobe-like Flashes Discovered in a Suspected Binary Protostar
Flashes of light pulsing through the nebula surrounding the protostellar object LRLL 54361 are captured in this time-coded prismatic image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. These surprisingly regular pulsations, recurring every 25.34 days, were discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope...
Artist's Impression of Pulsating Object LRLL 54361
This is an artist's impression of two young binary stars that may be the source of mysterious clock-like bursts of light from an object called LRLL 54361 that lies inside the star-forming region IC 348, located 950 light-years away.
Protostar LRLL 54361
NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes have teamed up to uncover a mysterious infant star that behaves like a police strobe light.
Probing Brown Dwarf Layers
This graph shows the brightness variations of the brown dwarf named 2MASSJ22282889-431026 measured simultaneously by both NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. As the object rotates every 1.4 hours, its emitted light periodically brightens and dims. Surprisingly, the timing, or phase, of...
Vega: Two Belts and the Possibility of Planets
Astronomers have discovered what appears to be a large asteroid belt around the bright star Vega, as illustrated here at left in brown.
Anatomy of Brown Dwarf's Atmosphere
This artist's illustration shows the atmosphere of a brown dwarf called 2MASSJ22282889-431026, which was observed simultaneously by NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes.
Forecast for Exotic Weather
This artist's conception illustrates the brown dwarf named 2MASSJ22282889-431026.
Vega
Rocky Ring of Debris Around Vega
This artist's concept illustrates an asteroid belt around the bright star Vega.
Zeta Ophiuchi
Massive Star Makes Waves
The giant star Zeta Ophiuchi is having a "shocking" effect on the surrounding dust clouds in this infrared image from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope. Stellar winds flowing out from this fast-moving star are making ripples in the dust as it approaches, creating a bow shock seen as glowing gossamer...
NGC 3627
Revealing Hidden Black Holes
This composite image shows the spiral galaxy NGC 3627, located about 30 million light years from Earth.
Astronomers Spot Most Distant Known Galaxy
In this image, astronomers use NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and a cosmic zoom lens to uncover the farthest known galaxy in the universe.
Cygnus OB2
Probing a Nearby Stellar Cradle
The Cygnus OB2 star cluster is about 5,000 light years from Earth and contains many massive young stars.
Scenarios for the Evolution of Asteroid Belts
This illustration shows three possible scenarios for the evolution of asteroid belts.
Botes Field in Infrared
This image shows a portion of our sky, called the Botes field, in infrared light.
Spitzer Sees Stray Starlight
When galaxies grow, they merge and become gravitationally tangled in a violent process that results in streams of stars being ripped away from the galaxies.
Unmasking a Hidden Glow
This image shows a mysterious, background infrared glow captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Unmasking a Hidden Glow
Researchers were able to detect this background glow, which spreads across the whole sky, by masking out light from galaxies and other known sources of light (the masks are the gray.
Large Magellanic Cloud
Cepheids as Cosmology Tools
This graph illustrates the Cepheid period-luminosity relationship, which scientists use to calculate the size, age and expansion rate of the universe. The data shown are from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, which has made the most precise measurements yet of the universe's expansion rate by...
Helix Nebula
The Helix Nebula: Unraveling at the Seams
A dying star is throwing a cosmic tantrum in this combined image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX).
Climbing the Cosmic Distance Ladder
Astronomers using NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope have greatly improved the cosmic distance ladder used to measure the size and age of the universe, symbolically rendered in this artists concept.
ULAS J1120+0641
An artists rendering of the most distant quasar
Quasars, as pictured here in this artist's concept, are bright, energetic regions around giant, active black holes in galactic centers. Although immensely powerful and visible across billions of light years, quasars are actually quite tiny, spanning a few light years, and their inner areas...
MACS J1149+2223
Through a Lens, Distantly
With the combined power of NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes, as well as a cosmic magnification effect, astronomers have spotted what could be the most distant galaxy ever seen. Light from the primordial galaxy traveled approximately 13.2 billion light-years, shining forth from the...
MACS J1149+2223
Galaxy Cluster and Gravitational Lens MACS J1149+2223
With the combined power of NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes, as well as a cosmic magnification effect, astronomers have spotted what could be the most distant galaxy ever seen. Light from the primordial galaxy traveled approximately 13.2 billion light-years, shining forth from the...
MACS 1149-JD
The Distant Galaxy MACS 1149-JD
With the combined power of NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes, as well as a cosmic magnification effect, astronomers have spotted what could be the most distant galaxy ever seen. Light from the primordial galaxy traveled approximately 13.2 billion light-years, shining forth from the...
MACS J1149+2223
A Glimmer from a Dark Cosmic Era
With the combined power of NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes, as well as a cosmic magnification effect, astronomers have spotted what could be the most distant galaxy ever seen. Light from the primordial galaxy traveled approximately 13.2 billion light-years, shining forth from the...
NGC 1929
A Surprisingly Bright Superbubble
This composite image shows a superbubble in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Messier 100
The Swirling Arms of the M100 Galaxy
The galaxy Messier 100, or M100, shows its swirling spiral in this infrared image from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope. The arcing spiral arms of dust and gas that harbor starforming regions glow vividly when seen in the infrared.
Messier 100
Hot and Cold in the M100 Galaxy
The galaxy Messier 100, or M100, shows its swirling spiral in this infrared image from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope. The arcing spiral arms of dust and gas that harbor starforming regions glow vividly when seen in the infrared.
UCF-1.01
Exoplanet is Extremely Hot and Incredibly Close (Artist's Concept)
Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have detected what they believe is an alien world just two-thirds the size of Earth one of the smallest on record. The exoplanet candidate, known as UCF-1.01, orbits a star called GJ 436, which is located a mere 33 light-years away. UCF-1.01 might...
IC 4406
The Boxy Retina Nebula
This boxy, almost rectangular structure, known as the Retina Nebula or IC 4406, shows its infrared glow in this image from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope. It is found in the constellation Lupis. Estimates of its distance are somewhat uncertain, placing it anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 light years...
Retina Nebula
A Planetary Nebula Pair
How is it that two glowing globs of gas that look completely different can actually be basically the same thing? In the case of planetary nebulae like IC 4406 and NGC 2392, all it may take is a simple shift of perspective, provided here in infrared images taken by NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope.
NGC 2392
NGC 2392
This ball of glowing gas is known as NGC 2392. It is found in the constellation Gemini and is about 3,000 light years away. The pioneering astronomer William Herschel first discovered it in 1787 using an early telescope that revealed very little of the structure we see in this infrared image from...
Cosmic Infrared Background
Sensitive Observations of the Distant Universe
Astronomers have uncovered the patterns of light that appear to be from the first stars and galaxies that formed in the universe, hidden within a strip of sky observed by NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope.
Cosmic Infrared Background
First Structures in the Distant Universe
Astronomers have uncovered the patterns of light that appear to be from the first stars and galaxies that formed in the universe, hidden within a strip of sky observed by NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope.
Cosmic Infrared Background
First Structures in the Distant Universe
Astronomers have uncovered the patterns of light that appear to be from the first stars and galaxies that formed in the universe, hidden within a strip of sky observed by NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope.
Pinwheel Galaxy
A Pinwheel Galaxy Rainbow
This image of the Pinwheel Galaxy, or M101, combines data in the infrared, visible, ultraviolet and x-rays from four of NASAs space telescopes. This multi-spectral view shows that both young and old stars are evenly distributed along M101s tightly-wound spiral arms. Such composite images allow...
55 Cancri e
Measuring Infrared Brightness
This graphic illuminates the process by which astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have for the first time detected the light from a super Earth planet.
First-of-Its-Kind Glimpse at a Super Earth
Super Earths are exotic planets unlike any in our solar system. They are more massive than Earth yet lighter than gas giants like Neptune, and they can be made of gas, rock or a combination of both.
How to See a Super Earth
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope was able to detect a super Earth's direct light for the first time using its sensitive heat-seeking infrared vision. Super Earths are more massive than Earth but lighter than gas giants like Neptune.
