NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

Galactic hit-and-run collision spawns firestorm of starbirth in its wake

20 May 2019 Astronomy Now

A glancing collision between two galaxies in the distant past triggered a firestorm of starbirth in the smaller of the two, leaving one side relatively intact while the other was set ablaze by gravitational stresses.

Hubble mosaic merges 7,500 observations into stunning legacy ‘deep field’

5 May 2019 Astronomy Now

A new “deep field” image by the Hubble Space Telescope combines 7,500 images collected during earlier deep exposures to produce a stunning image of an area roughly the size of the full Moon that contains more than 250,000 galaxies.

Hubble constant mismatch no fluke; new physics may be needed

27 April 2019 Astronomy Now

More precise observations of pulsating Cepheid variable stars confirms a major discrepancy in values of the Hubble constant.

Hubble shoots a Wild Duck (the cluster, that is)

29 March 2019 Astronomy Now

Stars in the Wild Duck Cluster, a favourite target for amateur astronomers, sparkle like jewels on black velvet in this view from the Hubble Space Telescope, showing the remarkably rich cluster’s colourful components with crystalline clarity.

Originally left out of famous catalogue, M106 blazes in Hubble view

11 March 2019 Astronomy Now

Stunning views of M106, aka NGC 4258, show the nearby galaxy as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope combined with data provided by two amateur astronomers. An additional view from Hubble shows the galaxy’s subtle ultraviolet glow.

Milky Way tips the scales at 1.5 trillion solar masses

11 March 2019 Astronomy Now

Data from ESA’s Gaia spacecraft and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope show the Milky Way galaxy tips the scales at around 1.5 trillion solar masses.

Hubble looks into the heart of the Whirlpool Galaxy

18 February 2019 Astronomy Now

The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as M51, is familiar to legions of amateur astronomers as a relatively faint face-on spiral with a smaller companion galaxy, but the Hubble Space Telescope reveals the Whirlpool in all its splendour, a magnificent spiral studded with countless clusters and dust lanes.