Hubble Space Telescope tagged posts

A dramatic triplet of galaxies takes center stage in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, which captures a three-way gravitational tug-of-war between interacting galaxies. This system—known as Arp 195—is featured in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, a list which showcases some of the weirder and more wonderful galaxies in the universe.

Observing time with Hubble is extremely valuable, so astronomers don’t want to waste a second. The schedule for Hubble observations is calculated using a computer algorithm which allows the spacecraft to occasionally gather bonus snapshots of data between longer observations.

This image of the clashing triplet of galaxies in Arp 195 is one such snapshot.

Extra observations such as these ...

This is an artist’s impression of the record-breakingly powerful, superluminous supernova ASASSN-15lh as it would appear from an exoplanet located about 10,000 light years away in the host galaxy of the supernova. Credit: Beijing Planetarium / Jin Ma

Astronomers studying what may be the most powerful supernova ever seen, with energy of hundreds of billions of suns. At its heart is an object a little larger than 10 miles across that could be a very rare type of star called a magneta – but one so powerful that it pushes the energy limits allowed by physics. An international team of professional and amateur astronomers spotted the possible supernova, now called ASASSN-15lh, when it first flared to life in June 2015.

Krzysztof Stanek, turned to the movie This is Spinal Tap to find a way to des...

Veil Nebula, NGC 6960, Cygnus Loop. Credit: Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the expanding remains of Veil Nebula, a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago. The debris is one of the best-known supernova remnants, deriving its name from its delicate, draped filamentary structures. The entire nebula is 110 light-years across, covering 6 full moons on the sky as seen from Earth, and resides about 2,100 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, the Swan.

This view is a mosaic of 6 Hubble pictures of a small area roughly 2 light-years across, covering only a tiny fraction of the nebula’s vast structure.
This close-up look unveils wisps of gas, which are all that remain of w...