This gallery highlights the Hubble Space Telescope’s spectacular captures of cosmic wonders, from star-forming nebulae to distant galaxies, each offering new insights into the universe.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured some of the most breathtaking images of the universe, revealing stunning details of nebulae, galaxies, and distant cosmic events. Here’s a look at ten of the most fascinating images from Hubble, showcasing nebulae and deep-space phenomena in all their glory.
1. Stellar Sword
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A flaming blue sword appears to pierce a giant cosmic heart. The "sword" consists of twin jets of superheated gas from a newborn star, IRAS 05491+0247, while the "heart" is a cloud of dust and gas surrounding the star.
2. Southern Crab Nebula
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Description: An hourglass-shaped nebula formed by an uneven binary star system. One star has already exploded and become a white dwarf, creating this beautifully symmetrical structure.
3. Prawn Nebula (IC 4628)
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Description: This emission nebula is located 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. It is a region where massive stellar explosions give rise to new stars from the interstellar gas and dust.
4. Hubble Ultra Deep Field
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Description: This image zooms into a small patch of sky, revealing about 10,000 galaxies that lie up to 10 billion light-years away. It offers astronomers a glimpse into the early universe and its evolution.
5. Veil Nebula
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Description: A large supernova remnant 2,100 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. It is one of the most massive X-ray sources, believed to be the remnants of a star that exploded 8,000 years ago.
6. Monkey Head Nebula (NGC 2174)
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Description: A star-forming region 6,400 light-years away in the Orion constellation, full of dust, gas, and new stars. The image was released for Hubble’s 24th anniversary.
7. Pillars of Creation (2020)
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Description: A revisit of the iconic image of the star-forming region in the Eagle Nebula. In this 2020 infrared image, the intricate details of interstellar dust and gas pillars are visible in stunning clarity.
8. Pillars of Creation (Original)
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Description: The original image of the Pillars of Creation, taken in 1995 and revisited in 2015 for Hubble’s 25th anniversary, showcases three massive trunks of gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula.
9. A Ghost in Space
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Description: This eerie image shows two distant galaxies in a head-on collision, resembling a ghostly face with glowing eyes. Released just before Halloween in 2019, it is a striking example of galactic interaction.
10. Whirlpool Galaxy (NGC 5194)
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Description: This image shows the Whirlpool Galaxy seemingly wrapping its spiral arms around its smaller companion, NGC 5195. Despite appearances, the smaller galaxy is just passing through the background.
