UDK5007562: Examples of coral (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK5007718: Franquet's Epauletted Bat, Epomops franquetit, hanging upside down from a thin branch (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK5007794: Parchment worm (Chaetopterus variopedatus) (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK5008112: Upper and underside view of Red Abalone shell (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK5008132: Eastern Rosella (Platycercus Eximius) perching on a branch, side view (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK5008363: Thai Water Dragon (Physignathus Cocincinus), high angle view (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK5007891: Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) jumping head-down from a rock (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK5008027: Harvest mouse on stem of ox-eye daisy, side view (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK5008043: Four Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), blue, blue-white, yellow and grey, perched on a forked twig, front view (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK4986140: House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, perching on a thin branch, with the head in profile, showing the grey crown on top of its head (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK4986148: Earthworm (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK4986215: Ruppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppelli), showing downy head and brown and white heathers onwings (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK4987219: Blue-spotted ribbontail ray (Taeniura lymma), underside (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK4987281: Tabby and white kitten using triangular scratching post covered with carpet (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK4987332: Wasp's nest (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK4986085: Slug with tentacles withdrawn, extreme close-up (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK4986193: LyleOs flying fox (Pteropus lylei) upside down with mouth open (photo) / Bridgeman Images

UDK4990152: A Hereford bull with its distinctive red coat with white face and markings (photo) / Bridgeman Images

PIX4618980: Nebula NGC 3372 in the Carene - NGC 3372, The Eta Carinae Nebula - The Carene nebula is located about 7000 years - light from Earth. It is home to many hot stars, including the star Eta Carinae, a supermassive star, in the centre of the nebula. This image shows a giant star - forming region located at about 7000 light years away in the southern sky known as the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372). The bright star near the center of the image is Eta Carinae, which is one of the most massive and luminous stars known / Bridgeman Images

PIX4619569: Nebula Trifide (M20) in Sagittarius view in visible and infrared - This image composite compares the well - known visible - light picture of the glowing Trifid Nebula (left panel) with infrared views from Nasa's Spitzer Space Telescope (remaining three panels). The Trifid Nebula is a giant star - forming cloud of gas and dust located 5,400 light - years away in the constellation Sagittarius. The false - color Spitzer images reveal a different side of the Trifid Nebula. Where dark lanes of dust are visible trisecting the nebula in the visible - light picture, bright regions of star - forming activity are seen in the Spitzer pictures. All together, Spitzer uncovered 30 massive embryonic stars and 120 smaller newborn stars throughout the Trifid Nebula, in both its dark lanes and luminous clouds. These stars are visible in all the Spitzer images, mainly as yellow or red spots. Embryonic stars are developing stars about to burst into existence. Ten of the 30 massive embryos discovered by Spitzer were found in four dark cores, or stellar “” incubators,””” where stars are born. Astronomers using data from the Institute of Radioastronomy millimeter telescope in Spain had previously identified these cores but thought they were not quite ripe for stars. Spitzer's highly sensitive infrared eyes were able to penetrate all four cores to reveal rapidly growing embryos. Astronomers can actually count the individual embryos tucked inside the cores by looking closely at the Spitzer image taken by its infrared array camera (top right). This instrument has the highest spatial resolution of Spitzer's imaging cameras. The Spitzer image from the multiband imaging photometer (bottom right), on the other hand, specializes in detecting cooler materials. Its view highlights the relatively cool core material falling onto the Trifidi's growing embryos. The middle panel is a combination of Spitzer data from both of these instruments. The embryos are thought to have been triggered by a massiv / Bridgeman Images

PIX4623752: Planetary nebula CRL 2688 dans le Swan/HST - This image of the Egg Nebula, also known as CRL2688 and located roughly 3,000 light - years from us, was taken in red light with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) aboard Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope.The image shows a pair of mysterious “” searchlight” beams emerging from a hidden star, criss - Yeah. crossed by numerous bright arcs. This image sheds new light on the poorly understood ejection of stellar matter which accompanies the slow death of Sun - like stars. The image is shown in false color. The central star in CRL2688 was a red giant a few hundred years ago. The nebula is really a large cloud of dust and gas ejected by the star, expanding at a speed of 20 km/s (115,000 mph). A dense cocoon of dust (the dark band in the image center) enshrouds the star and hides it from our view. Starlight escapes more easily in directions where the cocoon is thinner, and is reflected towards us by dust particles in the cloud, giving it its overall appearance. Objects like CRL2688 are rare because they are in an evolutionary phase which lasts for a very short time (~ 1,000 to 2,000 years). However, they may hold the key to our understanding of how red giant stars transform themselves into planetary nebulae. For the first time, we can see a 10,000 year - old history of mass - ejection in a red giant star in such exquisite detail. The arcs in CRL2688 represent dense shells of matter within a smooth cloud, and show that the rate of mass ejection from the central star has varied on time scales of ~ 100 to 500 years throughout its mass - loss history. With Hubble we have detected matter in this nebula to a radius of 0.6 light - years - - much further out than has been possible before, giving a better estimate of the amount of matter in the nebula. Other unexpected results seen in this image are the very sharply defined edges of the beams and fine spoke - like features which suggest that, contrary to previous models, the searchli / Bridgeman Images

PIX4623419: Planetary nebula M 27 (NGC 6853) in the little fox - This excellent image of the Dumbbell Nebula (M27, NGC6853), a planetary nebula in the constellation of Vulpecula, was taken at the 3.5 - meter WIYN telescope using the mini - mosaic imager. The nebula was formed when an evolved, red giant star ejected its outer envelope near the end of its lifetime. The expanding cloud of gas becomes visible once the hot core of the star, visible near the center, is exposed and the high - energy, ultraviolet light from the core ionizes the cloud. This makes the nebula emit mostly a strong emission - line spectrum. This color image was obtained by combining three separate pictures, each one taken through a narrow filter centered at the emission wavelengths of Hydrogen (H alpha, red, 656 nm), doubly ionized Oxygen (OII, green, 501 nm), and neutral Oxygen (OI, blue, 630 nm). It is physically very interesting that neutral gas can survive in a region right next to highly ionized gas, and this image shows how, as the blue component is concentrated in very dense clumps which act to protect the neutral oxygen from the intense ultraviolet radiation which has ionized the other gas components. The Dumbbell nebula is about 850 light - years away from Earth and about 1.5 light - years in diameter / Bridgeman Images

PIX4623426: Planetary Nebula M 27 (NGC 6853) in the Little Fox - M27 The Dumbbell Nebula Astro - Physic's 130 EDT f/8 Composite of two exposures, 12 minutes and 60 minutes hypered Fuji Super G 800 8:36 and 8:55 pm October 7, 1994 Mt. Pinos, C / Bridgeman Images

UIG5385065: Stool in front of old pump organ / Bridgeman Images

UIG5385061: A White Tiger / Bridgeman Images

JDK5317193: Humphrey Littleton, portrait of jazz musician Humphrey Littleton in 100 Club, Soho London early 1960's (b/w photo), Deakin, John (1912-1972) / Bridgeman Images

JDK5317242: BAZOUKI 29 Italy, c.1955 (b/w photo), Deakin, John (1912-1972) / Bridgeman Images

JDK5317276: Christine Oestreicher's children, c.1965 (b/w photo), Deakin, John (1912-1972) / Bridgeman Images

JDK5317277: Christine Oestreicher's children, c.1965 (b/w photo), Deakin, John (1912-1972) / Bridgeman Images

JDK5317289: Alvaro Maccioni, manager of La Trattoria Terrazza - London early 1960's (b/w photo), Deakin, John (1912-1972) / Bridgeman Images

JDK5317294: Alvaro Maccioni, manager of La Trattoria Terrazza - London early 1960's (b/w photo), Deakin, John (1912-1972) / Bridgeman Images

JDK5317299: Alvaro Maccioni, manager of La Trattoria Terrazza - London early 1960's (b/w photo), Deakin, John (1912-1972) / Bridgeman Images

JDK5317310: Mario Dabcevich in Italian museum, c.1955 (b/w photo), Deakin, John (1912-1972) / Bridgeman Images

JDK5317314: Unknown man & Dan Farson, portrait of author and broadcaster Dan Farson with unknown man, Soho London mid 1960's (b/w photo), Deakin, John (1912-1972) / Bridgeman Images

JDK5317315: Unknown man & Dan Farson, portrait of author and broadcaster Dan Farson with unknown man, Soho London mid 1960's (b/w photo), Deakin, John (1912-1972) / Bridgeman Images

JDK5317324: Gerald Hamilton, portrait of dubious character Gerald Hamilton, model for Mr Norris in Christopher Isherwood novel, in French House pub, Soho London early 1960's (b/w photo), Deakin, John (1912-1972) / Bridgeman Images