Browse Archive

  • galaxy Zw II 96

    Bursting with Stars

    The most active star-forming galaxy in the distant universe, nicknamed the "Baby Boom" galaxy, loosely resembles the galaxy shown here.

  • Inner Milky Way Raging With Star Formation

    Inner Milky Way Raging With Star Formation

    More than 444,580 frames from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope were stitched together to create this portrait of the raging star-formation occurring in the inner Milky Way.

  • Inner Milky Way Raging With Star Formation

    Spitzer Finds Clarity in the Inner Milky Way

    More than 800,000 frames from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope were stitched together to create this infrared portrait of dust and stars radiating in the inner Milky Way.

  • Our Milky Way Gets a Makeover

    Our Milky Way Gets a Makeover

    Like early explorers mapping the continents of our globe, astronomers are busy charting the spiral structure of our galaxy, the Milky Way.

  • dramatic changes in phenomena referred to as light echoes around the Cassiopeia A

    Ghostly Stellar Echoes

    This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope highlights dramatic changes in phenomena referred to as light echoes around the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant.

  • remnant of a star that exploded and its surrounding light echoes

    Dance of the Light Echoes

    This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the remnant of a star that exploded, called Cassiopeia A (center) and its surrounding "light echoes."

  • ghostly ring extending seven light-years across around the corpse of a massive star

    Ghostly Ring

    This image shows a ghostly ring extending seven light-years across around the corpse of a massive star.

  • Cluster brimming with millions of stars called Omega Centauri

    Omega Centauri Looks Radiant in Infrared

    A cluster brimming with millions of stars glistens like an iridescent opal in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Called Omega Centauri, the sparkling orb of stars is like a miniature galaxy.

  • Spectrum AS 205N

    Spectrum AS 205N

    This plot of infrared data shows the strong signature of water vapor in the disk of gas and dust surrounding a young star.

  • Artist concept of a very young star encircled by a disk of gas and dust

    Spitzer Finds Organics and Water Where New Planets May Grow

    This artist's concept shows a very young star encircled by a disk of gas and dust, the raw materials from which rocky planets such as Earth are thought to form.

  • Chart - Organic Molecules and Water in a Protoplanetary Disk

    Spectrum AA Tauri

    This plot of infrared data shows the signatures of water vapor and simple organic molecules in the disk of gas and dust surrounding a young star.

  • Many young and bright galaxies

    One of the Youngest and Brightest Galaxies

    A massive cluster of yellowish galaxies is seemingly caught in a spider web of eerily distorted background galaxies in an image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

  • Young Stars in Their Baby Blanket of Dust

    Newborn stars peek out from beneath their natal blanket of dust in this dynamic image of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

  • Dusty Baby Blanket Nestles Young Stars

    This image of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud was obtained by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and shows newborn stars peeking out from beneath a dust blanker.

  • representation of galaxies in and surrounding a galaxy cluster

    Celestial Cities and the Roads That Connect Them

    This is a representation of galaxies in and surrounding a galaxy cluster called Abell 1763.

  • Slender Galaxy with Robust Black Hole

    Slender Galaxy with Robust Black Hole

    This plot of data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope indicates that a flat, spiral galaxy called NGC 3621 has a feeding, supermassive black hole lurking within it.

  • This artist's concept illustrates the two types of spiral galaxies that populate our universe.

    Galaxies of all Shapes Host Black Holes

    This artist's concept illustrates the two types of spiral galaxies that populate our universe: those with plump middles, or central bulges (upper left), and those lacking the bulge (foreground).

  • blown-out remains of a stellar explosion

    Cosmic Ornament of Gas and Dust

    This beautiful bulb might look like a Christmas ornament but it is the blown-out remains of a stellar explosion, or supernova.

  • different Spitzer views of the blown-out remains of a stellar explosion

    Dusty Celestial Ornaments

    These are different Spitzer Space Telescope views of the blown-out remains of a stellar explosion, or supernova.

  • spectrum of data

    Dissecting the Wake of a Supernova Explosion

    The spectrum reveals the composition of gas and dust that were synthesized in a star explosion.