Hubble Space Telescope Observations Map

Posted by

This animation starts with a flat projection of the entire sky. In this projection the sky is bisected by the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. Hubble Space Telescope target locations over the 21 years are shown sequentially, from solar system to extragalactic. Stellar targets are spread over the entire celestial sphere; planets lie along the solar system’s ecliptic plane (S-shaped in this projection), and distant targets are at high galactic latitudes. As of July 4, 2011, Hubble has made one million science observations.... Read More | Share it now!

The Butterfly Nebula

Posted by

This slow pan of the Butterfly or Bug Nebula captures the detail available in the Hubble image of the planetary nebula, located 3,800 light-years away from Earth. The nebula’s gas is tearing across space at more than 600,000 miles per hour.... Read More | Share it now!

The Helix Nebula

Posted by

A 3-D model of the Helix Nebula shows a structure much more complex than suspected. The Helix Nebula is a planetary nebula, created when gas is expelled by a dying, Sun-sized star. The star becomes a white dwarf — look for it in the center of the Helix.... Read More | Share it now!