Hubble Telescope celebrates 35 years in space with ethereal cosmic pictures
This is a combination of Hubble Space Telescope images of Mars taken from December 28th to 30th, 2024. (Photo: ESA)
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The images reveal thin water-ice clouds visible in ultraviolet light that give Mars a frosty, ethereal appearance.The northern polar cap is seen at the start of Martian spring, while prominent surface features such as the Tharsis volcanic plateau, the towering Olympus Mons volcano, and the vast Valles Marineris canyon system are clearly visible.The planet's atmosphere and icy limb glow with a delicate blue hue, emphasising the dynamic nature of Mars' climate.Hubble also unveiled an extraordinary view of the planetary nebula NGC 2899, located roughly 4,500 light-years away in the constellation Vela.This nebula displays a striking bipolar, cylindrical gas outflow shaped by radiation and stellar winds from a hot white dwarf at its center.
NGC 5335 is categorized as a flocculent spiral galaxy with patchy streamers of star formation across its disk. (Photo: ESA)
advertisementThe nebula's intricate structure includes a fragmented ring resembling a half-eaten doughnut and a forest of gaseous pillars pointing back to the radiation source.The vivid colours arise from glowing hydrogen and oxygen gases, illustrating the complex interactions sculpting this celestial object.Another remarkable image zooms into a small section of the Rosette Nebula, a massive star-forming region 5,200 light-years distant. The photo captures dark hydrogen gas clouds laced with dust, eroded by intense radiation from central stars.
This Hubble Space Telescope image captures the beauty of the moth-like planetary nebula NGC 2899. (Photo: ESA)
A young star embedded in the nebula launches jets of plasma that collide with surrounding cold gas, creating shock waves that glow red. The colors in the image come from hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen emissions.Finally, Hubble presents a face-on view of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335. This flocculent spiral galaxy, about 100 million light-years away, features patchy star-forming regions and a prominent central bar that channels gas inward, fueling ongoing star birth.
This is a Hubble Space Telescope photo of a small portion of the Rosette Nebula, a huge star-forming region spanning 100 light-years across. (Photo: ESA)
Unlike many galaxies, NGC 5335 lacks well-defined spiral arms, highlighting the diversity of galactic structures in the universe.These images not only celebrate Hubble's 35 years of groundbreaking science but also show its continued role in revealing the beauty and complexity of the cosmos.Hubble is now joined by the James Webb Space Telescope as they hunt for new discoveries, alien worlds, new galaxies in the vastness of the universe.Trending Reel
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