Picture This

Clouds of stars

The greatest survey yet of the Milky Way Galaxy’s two main satellites, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds has resolved an astonishing 360 million objects – stars, clusters and nebulae.

Picture This

Fireworks left over from stellar explosion in Orion Nebula

Stellar explosions are most often associated with supernovae, the spectacular deaths of stars. But new ALMA observations provide insights into explosions at the other end of the stellar life cycle, star birth. Astronomers captured these dramatic images as they explored the firework-like debris from the birth of a group of massive stars, demonstrating that star formation can be a violent and explosive process too.

Picture This

Golden eye: James Webb Space Telescope’s mirror unveiled

On 27 April 2016, engineers unveiled the giant golden mirror of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope as part of the integration and testing of the infrared telescope. The 6.5-metre mirror is composed of 18 segments the size of a coffee table. Each is made from beryllium, weighs about 46 pounds (20 kg) and coated with vaporised gold to reflect infrared light.