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PIX4636007: The center of our galaxy, the milky way - The center of our galaxy, the milky way - This billion pixel mosaic shows the central region of our galaxy, the Lactee Way. The 52 assembled images cover an area that extends from Sagittarius (with the galactic center and nebulae M8 and M20) on the left, to the Scorpio, with the star Antares and the colored cloud of Rho Ophiuchus on the right. Image obtained with a Takahashi FSQ 106 Ed bezel at Cerro Paranal Observatory in Chile; 200 hours of poses. This image is a 1 billion pixel RGB mosaic of the galactic center region (340 million pixels in each R, V and B color). It shows the region spanning from Sagittarius (with the Milky Way center and M8/M20 area on the left) to Scorpius (with colorful Antares and Rho Ophiuchus region on the right) and cat paw nebula (red nebula at the bottom). This mosaic was assembled from 52 different sky fields made from 1200 individual images and 200 hours total exposure time, final image size is 24000x14000 pixels. The images were taken with a SBIG STL camera+Takahashi FSQ106ed f/3.6 telescope and NJP160 mount from the clear skies of ESO Paranal Observatory in Chile. This mosaic is one of the three parts of the ESO Gigagalaxy Zoom project / Bridgeman Images
PIX4610165: Spiral galaxy NGC 2683 in Lynx - Spiral galaxy NGC 2683 in Lynx - Spiral galaxy NGC 2683 distant about 16 million years - light in the constellation Lynx. Image obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). NGC 2683 is a spiral galaxy seen almost edge - on, giving it the shape of a classic science fiction spaceship. The delicate dusty lanes of the spiral arms are silhouetted against the golden haze of the galaxy's core. In addition, brilliant clusters of young blue stars shine scattered throughout the disc, mapping the galaxy's star - forming regions. Perhaps surprisingly, side - on views of galaxies like this one do not prevent astronomers from deducing their structures. Studies of the properties of the light coming from NGC 2683 suggest that this is a barred spiral galaxy, even though the angle we see it at does not let us see this directly. NGC 2683, discovered on 5 February 1788 by the famous astronomer William Herschel, lies in the Northern constellation of Lynx. A constellation named not because of its resemblance to the feline animal, but because it is fairly faint, requiring the sensitive eyes of a cat”” to discern it. And when you manage to get a look at it, you'll find treasures like this, making it well worth the effort. This image is produced from two adjacent fields observed in visible and infrared light by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. A narrow strip which appears slightly blurred and crosses most the image horizontally is a result of a gap between Hubble's detectors. This strip has been patched using images from observations of the galaxy made by ground - based telescopes, which show significantly less detail. The field of view is approximately 6.5 by 3.3 arcminutes. / Bridgeman Images
PIX4619391: Nebulae NGC 6334 and NGC 6357 in Scorpio - Nebulae NGC 6334 and NGC 6357 in Scorpius: These nebulae are located about 5500 light years from Earth - Located in the constellation of Scorpius, the Cat's Paw Nebula resemble a faint, luminous paw-print on the sky. Deep images reveal that the nebula is about a degree across in the sky. At a distance of about 5500 light-years away it is a truly vast structure spanning almost 100 light-years across. The sculpted gases of NGC 6334 are illuminated by the light of numerous powerful stars, some exceeding 10 solar masses. The two brilliant blue stars in the upper left are Lambda and Kappa Scorpii. Many of these luminous hot stars are surprisingly not visible because they lie within the dusty plane of our galaxy. At infrared wavelengths the numerous hot stars are revealed and the nature of this object as a region of massive star formation becomes clear. In the past decade water masers, molecular outflows, and x-ray sources have provided direct evidence of clusters of protostars within NGC 6334. The nebula was discovered by John Herschel in 1837, and the brief and uninformative description in his Cape Observations catalog is a testament to its faintness. The ruddy hue of this complex is the result of the absorption of blue light by the ubiquitous dust clouds along our line of sight in the plane of the Milky Way. The red, intricate bubble making up the left paw print is particularly striking and is most likely either a star expelling large amounts of matter at high speed as it nears the end of its life or the remnant of a recent supernova - Located near the famous “” Cat Paw”” nebula (NGC 6334), the Stellar Cluster Pismis 24 lies at the core of NGC 6357. Its stars include some of the most massive stellar behemoths known. One of the brightest stars in the cluster, Pismis 24-1, was thought possibly to be the most massive on record, approaching 300 solar masses, until it was discovered by the Hubble Telescope to b / Bridgeman Images
PIX4619380: Nebula NGC 6334 in Scorpio - Cat's Paw nebula (NGC 6334) in Scorpius - The nebula NGC 6334 is located about 5500 years - light from Earth. It is a vast region of star formation. The Cat's Paw Nebula (NGC 6334) is a vast region of star formation. NGC 6334 lies about 5500 light - years from Earth in the constellation of Scorpius. The whole gas cloud is about 50 light - years across. NGC 6334 is one of the most active nurseries of massive stars in our galaxy and has been extensively studied by astronomers / Bridgeman Images
PIX4619410: Nebula NGC 6334 in Scorpio - Cat's Paw nebula (NGC 6334) in Scorpius - The nebula NGC 6334 is located about 5500 years - light from Earth. It is a vast region of star formation. The Cat's Paw Nebula (NGC 6334) is a vast region of star formation. NGC 6334 lies about 5500 light - years from Earth in the constellation of Scorpius. The whole gas cloud is about 50 light - years across. NGC 6334 is one of the most active nurseries of massive stars in our galaxy and has been extensively studied by astronomers / Bridgeman Images
PIX4619322: Nebula NGC 6334 in Scorpio - Cat's Paw nebula (NGC 6334) in Scorpius - The nebula NGC 6334 is located about 5500 years - light from Earth. Image made with a 130 mm Astrophysics bezel, one hour of laying. NGC 6334 is the Cat's Paw nebula in Scorpius.It is a large area of emission nebulosity more than a half of a degree in size located about 3 degrees northwest of Lambda and Upsilon Scorpii, the stinger in the Scorpion's tail, which are also called the Cat's Eyes. To the upper left of NGC 6334 is an area almost devoid of stars which is dark nebula B 257. Radio source RCW 127 is also located in NGC 6334 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4619453: Nebula NGC 6334 in Scorpio - Cat's Paw nebula (NGC 6334) in Scorpius - The nebula NGC 6334 is located about 5500 years - light from Earth. It is a vast region of star formation. Image obtained by the 2.2 meter MPG/ESO telescope of the La Silla Observatory. The Cat's Paw Nebula (NGC 6334) is a vast region of star formation. This new portrait of NGC 6334 was created from images taken with the Wide Field Imager instrument at the 2.2 - metre MPG/ESO telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, combining images taken through blue, green and red filters, as well as a special filter designed to let through the light of glowing hydrogen. NGC 6334 lies about 5500 light - years from Earth in the constellation of Scorpius. The whole gas cloud is about 50 light - years across. NGC 6334 is one of the most active nurseries of massive stars in our galaxy and has been extensively studied by astronomers. The nebula conceals freshly minted brilliant blue stars - each nearly ten times the mass of our Sun and born in the last few million years. The region is also home to many baby stars that are buried deep in the dust, making them difficult to study. In total, the Cat's Paw Nebula could contain several tens of thousands of stars. The nebula appears red because its blue and green light are scattered and absorbed more efficiently by material between the nebula and Earth. The red light comes predominantly from hydrogen gas glowing under the intense glare of hot young stars / Bridgeman Images