Tag: star clusters

  • Relax and drift through the Andromeda Galaxy 💫

    Relax and drift through the Andromeda Galaxy 💫

    Witness the breathtaking beauty of our cosmic neighbor—the Andromeda galaxy—located 2.5 million light-years away. This spiral disk galaxy appears elliptical from Earth due to its tilted orientation. In this panoramic view, young blue stars shimmer along the galaxy’s outer rim, while older yellowish stars cluster toward the bright central hub, resembling the yolk of a cosmic fried egg. 🍳💫

    This vibrant portrait is the result of over 10 years of observations and more than 600 snapshots captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Altogether, it reveals the mesmerizing glow of 200 million stars scattered across the galaxy’s immense 200,000-light-year-wide disk. As the camera zooms into the central region, a dense sea of ancient stars comes into view. Panning across the galaxy’s expanse, we see intricate patterns of dark dust clouds weaving through space, while vibrant blue star clusters stand out along the edges, signaling regions of ongoing star formation. 🌌✨

    Prepare to be amazed as we explore one of the largest and most detailed galactic images ever captured—offering a glimpse into the heart of a distant galaxy, yet eerily similar to our own Milky Way.

    📸 NASA, ESA, B. Williams (University of Washington), G. Bacon (STScI)
    🎶 Rain Clouds – Beautiful Visions

    #ESA #AndromedaGalaxy #Hubble

  • Happy Halloween! 🎃🕷️ #TarantulaNebula

    Happy Halloween! 🎃🕷️ #TarantulaNebula

    In this mosaic image stretching 340 light-years across, Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) displays the Tarantula Nebula star-forming region in a new light, including tens of thousands of never-before-seen young stars that were previously shrouded in cosmic dust. The most active region appears to sparkle with massive young stars, appearing pale blue. Scattered among them are still-embedded stars, appearing red, yet to emerge from the dusty cocoon of the nebula. NIRCam is able to detect these dust-enshrouded stars thanks to its unprecedented resolution at near-infrared wavelengths.

    📹 ESA – European Space Agency
    📸 NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI, N. Bartmann
    🎶 Haunted House – Goosebumps

    #ESA #Halloween #Webb