picture this – Astronomy Now

Spritely behaviour

4 August 2022 Keith Cooper

Two rare phenomena associated with thunderstorms are captured in this expansive vista seen from 4,200 metres above sea level at the Gemini North telescope, overlooking the other observatories atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

Dive into the dramatic octopus gallery

27 July 2022 Keith Cooper

Among the many things that make NGC 2336 an astonishing galaxy are its eight sprawling spiral arms

The layered hills of Mars’ Arabia Terra

8 July 2022 Keith Cooper

These layered hills, seen in this false-colour image of a portion of Arabia Terra on Mars, may possibly have a watery origin.

Cosmic Crash

5 July 2022 Keith Cooper

The galaxy NGC 3256 is seen here in the aftermath of a major galaxy merger.

The long view across Gale crater to the slopes of Mount Sharp

30 June 2022 Keith Cooper

This panorama was taken by the rover’s MastCam – from a ‘clay-bearing unit’ on the flank of Mount Sharp.

The magic of gravity

28 June 2022 Keith Cooper

The great sculptor of the Universe is gravity. It is gravity’s force that assembles the galaxies into arrays of cartwheeling spirals, flocculant sunflowers and immense ellipticals.

Moon ring shines bright over the VLT

15 June 2022 Keith Cooper

A stunning Moon halo shines in the sky above the Very Large Telescope at the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

Clouds of stars

8 June 2022 Keith Cooper

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.

The monster stars in the monster’s hand

20 May 2022 Keith Cooper

In 2014, a quite remarkable collage was released by scientists who used NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope to image the entirety of the Milky Way in infrared light.

A hidden giant

18 May 2022 Keith Cooper

The star hidden inside this spectacular dusty cocoon is not only a red giant, but also a rare stellar breed known as a carbon star.