The Lupus 3 Dark Cloud with Hot Young Blue Stars | ESO

The Lupus 3 Dark Cloud with Hot Young Blue Stars | ESO

This evocative image shows a dark cloud where new stars are forming along with a cluster of brilliant stars that have already emerged from their dusty stellar nursery. This cloud is known as Lupus 3 and it lies about 600 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion). 

It is likely that the Sun formed in a similar star formation region more than four billion years ago. This picture was taken with the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile and is among the best images ever taken of this little-known object.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/F. Comeron

Release Date: January 16, 2013

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Revealing the Galactic Neighborhood of Lenticular Galaxy NGC 1316 | ESO

Revealing the Galactic Neighborhood of Lenticular Galaxy NGC 1316 | ESO

Countless galaxies vie for attention in this dazzling image of the Fornax Cluster, some appearing only as pinpricks of light while others dominate the foreground. One of these is the lenticular galaxy NGC 1316. The turbulent past of this much-studied galaxy has left it with a delicate structure of loops, arcs and rings that astronomers have now imaged in greater detail than ever before with the VLT Survey Telescope.

This image was processed with the VST-Tube data reduction program.

Note that the bright stars in this image are surrounded by round features, some orange and some pale blue or white, that are caused by reflections within the telescope and camera optics. These artifacts are not real celestial objects.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/A. Grado and L. Limatola

Release Date: October 25, 2017

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Galaxies NGC 1316 & 1317: Wide-field View | ESO

Galaxies NGC 1316 & 1317: Wide-field View | ESO

This picture shows the sky around the pair of galaxies NGC 1316 and 1317. It was created from images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2.

Distance: about 60 million light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2

Release Date: April 2, 2014

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Zooming in on Galaxies NGC 1316 & 1317 in Fornax | Hubble

Zooming in on Galaxies NGC 1316 & 1317 in Fornax | Hubble

This zoom starts with a wide spread of sky, including the familiar constellation of Orion (The Hunter) at the upper right and the Large Magellanic Cloud at the upper left. We then close in on the less dramatic constellation of Fornax (The Furnace) and see two galaxies close together. These are the contrasting pair of galaxies NGC 1316 and the smaller 1317. Although NGC 1317 appears to be relative unperturbed, its larger neighbor bears the scars of a turbulent history during which it has engulfed smaller galaxies.

Distance: about 60 million light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2/A. Fujii/Nick Risinger

Duration: 56 seconds

Release Date: April 2, 2014

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Hubble Spies Cosmic Dust Bunnies: Giant Elliptical Galaxy NGC 1316

Hubble Spies Cosmic Dust Bunnies: Giant Elliptical Galaxy NGC 1316

Like dust bunnies that lurk in corners and under beds, surprisingly complex loops and blobs of cosmic dust lie hidden in the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1316. This image made from data obtained with the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope reveals the dust lanes and star clusters of this giant galaxy that give evidence that it was formed from a past merger of two gas-rich galaxies.

Distance: 60 million light years

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Release Date: March 31, 2005

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Galaxies in Fornax: One of a Pair | Hubble Space Telescope

Galaxies in Fornax: One of a Pair | Hubble Space Telescope

In this image, the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope peers into the spiral galaxy NGC 1317 in the constellation Fornax, more than 50 million light-years from Earth. This galaxy is one of a pair, but NGC 1317’s rowdy larger neighbor NGC 1316 lies outside Hubble’s field of view. Despite the absence here of its neighboring galaxy, NGC 1317 is accompanied in this image by two objects from very different parts of the Universe. The bright point ringed with a criss-cross pattern is a star from our own galaxy surrounded by diffraction spikes, whereas the redder elongated smudge is a distant galaxy lying far beyond NGC 1317.

The data presented in this image are from a vast observing campaign of hundreds of observations from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys. Combined with data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) research facility in the Atacama desert, these observations help astronomers chart the connections between vast clouds of cold gas and the fiercely hot young stars that form within them. ALMA’s unparalleled sensitivity at long wavelengths identified vast reservoirs of cold gas throughout the local Universe, and Hubble’s sharp vision pinpointed clusters of young stars, as well as measuring their ages and masses. 

Often the most exciting astronomical discoveries require this kind of telescope teamwork, with cutting-edge facilities working together and providing astronomers with information across the electromagnetic spectrum. The same applies to future telescopes, with Hubble’s observations laying the groundwork for future science with the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team

Release Date: November 29, 2021

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Zooming in on the Star Formation Region NGC 2035 | ESO

Zooming in on the Star Formation Region NGC 2035 | ESO

This zoom sequence starts with a broad view of the whole sky. We gradually close in on the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small neighboring galaxy to our Milky Way. The final close-up shows a Very Large Telescope (VLT) image of NGC 2035, a star formation region that has an adjacent remnant created by a supernova explosion.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2/Nick Risinger/Robert Gendler 

Duration: 56 seconds

Release Date: Nov 27, 2013

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The Star Formation Region NGC 2035 | ESO

The Star Formation Region NGC 2035 | ESO

The Large Magellanic Cloud is one of the closest galaxies to our own. Astronomers have used the power of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) to explore NGC 2035, one of its lesser known regions, in great detail. This image shows clouds of gas and dust where hot new stars are being born and are sculpting their surroundings into odd shapes. However, the image also shows the effects of stellar death—filaments created by a supernova explosion (left).

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: November 27, 2013

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A Close-up Look at Star Cluster NGC 3293 | ESO

A Close-up Look at Star Cluster NGC 3293 | ESO

This pan video gives a close-up view of a colorful image from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. It shows a group of young stars huddled together against a backdrop of clouds of glowing gas and lanes of dust. This star cluster, known as NGC 3293, would have been just a cloud of gas and dust itself about ten million years ago, but as stars began to form it became the bright group we see here. Clusters like this are celestial laboratories that allow astronomers to learn more about how stars evolve.

Distance: about 8,000 light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO) /G. Beccari

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: July 29, 2014

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarCluster #NGC3293 #Carina #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zooming in on the Bright Star Cluster NGC 3293 | ESO

Zooming in on the Bright Star Cluster NGC 3293 | ESO

This zoom video starts from a broad view of the Milky Way and takes the viewer on a journey to the bright star cluster NGC 3293 in the constellation of Carina (The Keel). This spectacular object would have been just a cloud of gas and dust about ten million years ago, but as stars began to form it became the bright group we see here. Clusters like this are celestial laboratories that allow astronomers to learn more about how stars evolve.

Distance: about 8,000 light years

Credit:  European Southern Observatory (ESO)/G. Beccari/N. Risinger

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: July 29, 2014

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarCluster #NGC3293 #Carina #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Star Cluster NGC 3293 | ESO

The Star Cluster NGC 3293 | ESO

In this image from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile young stars huddle together against a backdrop of clouds of glowing gas and lanes of dust. The star cluster, known as NGC 3293, would have been just a cloud of gas and dust itself about ten million years ago, but as stars began to form it became the bright group we see here. Clusters like this are celestial laboratories that allow astronomers to learn more about how stars evolve.

Distance: 8,000 light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/G. Beccari

Release Date: July 23, 2014

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarCluster #NGC3293 #Carina #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

A Tour of a Galactic Gem: Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

A Tour of a Galactic Gem: Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

ESOcast 177 Light: FORS2, an instrument mounted on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) captured the spiral galaxy NGC 3981 in all its glory. The image, captured during the ESO Cosmic Gems Program, showcases the beauty of the southern skies when conditions do not allow scientific observations to be made.

Distance: about 62 million light-years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO) 

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: September 12, 2018

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3981 #Crater #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #FORS2 #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981: Wide-field View | ESO

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981: Wide-field View | ESO

This image is a color composite made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2). The field of view is approximately 2.4 x 2.0 degrees.

Distance: about 62 million light-years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2

Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin

Release Date: September 12, 2018

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Panning across Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

Panning across Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

This pan video takes a close look at the spiral galaxy NGC 3981 in the constellation of Crater (The Cup). This object was captured by FORS2— an instrument mounted on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT)— as part of the ESO Cosmic Gems Program, which showcases the beauty of the southern skies when conditions do not allow scientific observations to be made.

Distance: about 62 million light-years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO), James Creasey

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: September 12, 2018

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3981 #Crater #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #FORS2 #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zooming into Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

Zooming into Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

This zoom video starts with a wide view of the Milky Way and ends with a close-up look at the spiral galaxy NGC 3981 in the constellation of Crater (The Cup). The final view of this region was captured by FORS2, an instrument mounted on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), as part of ESO's Cosmic Gems Program. This program showcases the beauty of the southern skies when conditions do not allow scientific observations to be made.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2/N. Risinger

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: September 12, 2018

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3981 #Crater #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #FORS2 #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Galactic Gem: Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

A Galactic Gem: Spiral Galaxy NGC 3981 | ESO

FORS2, an instrument mounted on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) captured the spiral galaxy NGC 3981 in all its glory. The image, captured during the ESO Cosmic Gems Program, showcases the beauty of the southern skies when conditions do not allow scientific observations to be made.

Distance: about 62 million light-years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO) 

Release Date: September 2, 2018

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3981 #Crater #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #FORS2 #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education