Captured by NASA’s Spitzer and Hubble telescopes, the Orion Nebula showcases vivid colours. At its centre is the Trapezium, a group of four massive stars. Located 1,500 light-years away, it’s the brightest spot in the Hunter constellation.
NGC 1999, a reflection nebula near the Orion Nebula, reflects light from nearby stars, creating a bluish glow. V380 Orionis illuminates NGC 1999, and the Pleiades star cluster lights up another famous reflection nebula.
Featuring massive waves up to 100 billion kilometres high, the Red Spider Nebula is shaped by powerful stellar winds and supersonic shocks. Its central star is one of the hottest known.
The Helix Nebula, a planetary nebula, looks like a bubble or eye from Earth but is actually a trillion-mile-long tunnel of glowing gases with a white dwarf star at its centre.
The Helix Nebula spans four light-years and shows the process of a star shedding its outer layers. This image combines data from NASA telescopes in infrared, optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray.
This vibrant image of the Lagoon Nebula shows a young star 200,000 times brighter than the Sun. The star’s ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds create dramatic landscapes of gas and dust.
The Cat’s Eye Nebula features spherical bubbles formed by the star’s mass ejections, creating a layered, onion-skin structure around the dying star.
Located 6,500 light-years away, the Crab Nebula is key to studying supernovae and their aftermath.
The Butterfly Nebula (NGC 6302) spans over three light-years. Its central star, at about 250,000°C, makes the nebula shine brightly in ultraviolet light, revealing an intricate dust ring.
Part of the Carina Nebula, the Keyhole Nebula is enhanced by magnetic field streamlines detected by NASA's SOFIA. The detailed image highlights its complex structure.