PIX4640485: Solar sail near an exoplanet - Artist view - Solar sail and exoplanet - Artist view - View of a probe using solar wind and photons emitted by the Sun as a means of propulsion. The radiation pressure of sunlight on a huge expanse of very thin reflective material can gradually build up enough speed to reach another star, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4575236: Jupiter and its satellite Io - Illustration - Io and the Great Red Spot - Illustration - The Io satellite in front of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. In the center of the picture, the small satellite Amalthee. This painting shows Io superimposed in front of the Great Red Spot of Jupiter. It represents the spot's appearance during the 1970s. The small central object is the tiny moon Amalthea, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4625757: In the rings of Saturn - Illustration - Saturn Ring Particles - Artist view - Artist view of the countless ice particles that make up Saturn's rings. A view from the interior of the rings of Saturn reveals some of the innumerable ice particles which make them up, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4625859: Geyser sur Enceladus - Artist view - Water geyser on Enceladus - Artist view - Artist view of an ice geyser on the surface of the Enceladus satellite. In the sky, the planet Saturn. Enceladus, one of Saturn's many icy moons, is now known to possess underground reservoirs of liquid water which sometimes erupt to the surface in the form of great jets or geysers. These keep the moon's surface sparkling white, and even add material to Saturn's rings, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4593960: Constellations of Scorpio and Sagittarius - Constellations of Scorpius and Sagittarius - The Moon in the constellation Scorpio. On the left, the constellation of Sagittarius. In the foreground, shepherds from ancient Greece. Ancient greek shepherd children watching the night sky. Constellations of Scorpius and Sagittarius are drawn, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4613966: Quasar - Illustration - Infant Galaxy - Illustration - Artist's view of a young spiral galaxy. In the early days of a spiral galaxy like our own, a quasar blazes in the nucleus, while the spiral arms, glowing with fluorescent gasse, are just beginning to form stars, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4584740: Rotation of a Black Hole - Artist view - Rotating Black Hole - Artist view - A rotating black hole deforms the structure of space time. It seems that spinning black holes drag the structure of nearby space along with them as they rotate, creating a twisted vortex, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4574132: Artist's view of a hot Jupiter - Exoplanet - Hot Jupiter - Artist's view of a gas giant exoplanet very close to its star. Many of the extra - solar planets which have been discovered in recent years are large, massive, and orbit surprisingly close to their parent stars. These are believed to be gas giant planets similar to Jupiter. Since they're so close to their sun, they're hot. Thus the common term for them has become “” hot Jupiter””. This one is hot enough to glow a dull red even on its night side. The existence of these planets has proven that the arrangement of other solar systems need not closely resemble our own, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4607428: A probe explores Europe's underground ocean - Illustration - Europa Submersible Probe - Illustration - Artist's view of a space probe exploring Europe's underground ocean. Ice covers the surface of this Jupiter satellite; it is believed that under the tens of km thick of this ice, water in the liquid state could exist. A remote - controlled submersible probe pokes around beneath the icy mantle of Europa. The probe is designed to fit down a narrow hole, with the lights mounted on deployable rods, and small motorized wheels mounted on the fairings (hard to see here). Antennae trail behind. Power and warmth are provided by a SNAP generator near the rear. Stereo cameras are in front. Water intakes for chemical analysis are behind the front fairing. Attitude control is provided by small thrusters. Main propulsion comes from a small propellor equipped with a Kort nozzle. The oceans of Europa and the other Galilean moons could prove to be the most surprising environments in the solar system, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4650266: Space Shuttle Challenger - Artist view - Space shuttle Challenger - Artist view - Artist view commemorating the accident of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the disappearance of its seven astronauts in January 1986. Tribute to the exploded shuttle Challenger and its seven crewmembers, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4606016: Cassini - Huygens and Saturn - Cassini spacecraft at Saturn - Artist's view of the Cassini probe around Saturn. The Huygens European module is attached to the probe. The Cassini-Huygens probe was launched on 15 October 1997 and has been placed in orbit around Saturn since 1 July 2004. The great Cassini orbiter, with the Huygens probe still in place, prepares to slip through the ring plane of Saturn. Cassini - Huygens was launched from the earth on october 15 1997 and is orbiting Saturn system from july 1st 2004, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4625760: Tempete at the pole of Saturn - Illustration - Saturn Vortex - Artwork - Artist's view of the gigantic tempete observed by the Cassini probe at the southern pole of Saturn. The mighty Cassini orbiter has discovered a colossal, deep, whirling storm at the south pole of Saturn. The walls of the vortex appear smooth because of the speed of the rotation. The lightning is hypothetic. Unfortunately, Saturn's rings are hidden by the bulk of the planet from this perspective, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4626404: Saturn and satellites shepherds - Artist view - Saturn and Shepherd Moons - Artist view - Artist view of Saturn's F ring accompanies small satellites shepherds Promethee and Pandora. The weirdly braided F - ring of Saturn is confined by two tiny “” shepherd”” moons, named Prometheus and Pandora, which orbit just on either side of it, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4613935: The Galaxy of Andromede - Illustration - The Andromeda galaxy. Artwork - Artist's view of the Andromede galaxy with a globular cluster in the foreground. In the background, a companion galaxy and further, the lactee path and the clouds of Magellan. This is an acrylic painting with a few digital additions. It shows the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, the nearest large spiral system to our own Milky Way, which is comparable in size. Looking over the shoulder of the great galaxy, we see one of its small elliptical companion galaxies, then the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds, about two and a half million light years away. In the foreground is one of M31's many orbiting globular star clusters, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4639858: Astronaut on Mars - Illustration - Astronaut on Mars - Illustration - An astronaut crowds the soil of March. Artist's view. In some distant future, astronauts amble about on Mars. The hardware designs are based on the Lunar spacecraft being imagined by NASA, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4640225: Space Garage - Artist View - Space Garage - Artist view - Structure in orbit around the Earth to house spacecraft. A space garage that is parked in orbit a few miles from a space station. Habitat modules and an escape vehicle, makes the garage a space station in its own right. Also visible are the reflective solar dynamic power units which were under development at NASA Lewis (now NASA Glenn) but never made it into production, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4606029: Cassini - Huygens and Saturn - Cassini spacecraft at Saturn - Artist's view of the Cassini probe around Saturn. The Huygens European module is attached to the probe. The Cassini-Huygens probe was launched on 15 October 1997 and has been placed in orbit around Saturn since 1 July 2004. The great Cassini orbiter, with the Huygens probe still in place, prepares to slip through the ring plane of Saturn. Cassini - Huygens was launched from the earth on october 15 1997 and is orbiting Saturn system from july 1st 2004, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4607452: A probe explores Europe's underground ocean - Illustration - Europa Submersible Probe - Illustration - Artist's view of a space probe exploring Europe's underground ocean. Ice covers the surface of this Jupiter satellite; it is believed that under the tens of km thick of this ice, water in the liquid state could exist. A remote - controlled submersible probe pokes around beneath the icy mantle of Europa. The probe is designed to fit down a narrow hole, with the lights mounted on deployable rods, and small motorized wheels mounted on the fairings (hard to see here). Antennae trail behind. Power and warmth are provided by a SNAP generator near the rear. Stereo cameras are in front. Water intakes for chemical analysis are behind the front fairing. Attitude control is provided by small thrusters. Main propulsion comes from a small propellor equipped with a Kort nozzle, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4607470: Project Daedalus - Vue d'artiste - Daedalus project - Artist view - Daedalus was an interstellar space probe project written in the 1970s. The aim was to make a probe capable of examining the Barnard star system in order to study possible planets. This hypothetical fusion - powered vehicle was designed by the British Interplanetary Society in the seventies. This interstellar unmanned spacecraft had to be able to reach the Barnard's star and to study its hypothetical planetary system, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images