We live in a truly amazing universe. With our daily routines and worries, its easy to forget how small we are and just how vast and complex that universe is. Hopefully these captivating images will be a reminder.
Starburst Galaxy M82
A literal star factory, new stars are born in M82 10 times faster than in our own galaxy. The fiery looking strands coming out of its center is hydrogen gas.
ESO 510-G13
If you were to view our galaxy from this angle, it would appear relatively flat. ESO 510-G13 gets its warped appearance from colliding with another galaxy.
Dusty Spiral Galaxy NGC 4414
At roughly 60,000,000 light years away, the center of this galaxy appears lighter due to the concentration of much older red and yellow stars. The outer spiral arms are bluer because of newly forming stars.
I Zwicky 18
Once thought to be fairly young, old stars found within this stunning galaxy reveal that it is about the same age as most other observable galaxies. The blue clouds are bubbles of gas that have been blown outward by supernovae explosions and wind. The surrounding red objects are actually extremely old galaxies much farther away.
NGC 1275
With a black hole in its center and a heavy emission of X-rays, this beautiful galaxy is anything but peaceful. The pink extensions emanating from the center of this galaxy are from radio frequencies.
The Cartwheel Galaxy
An amazing picture depicting galaxy collison. One of the smaller galaxies to the right had previously burst through the center of the host, leaving a ripple (the surrounding ring) of new star genesis.
Messier 104
Also known as the Sombrero Galaxy, its red ring is comprised mainly of dust with a thinner ring of newly formed stars. At the center of this galaxy lies a black hole that is roughly 1 billion times more massive than our Sun.
All images courtesy of hubblesite.org
