• Slide 1 of 31: The universe took its time creating the astronomical eye candy on this list—13.7 billion years, give or take—but the results are definitely worth the wait. Using the world’s most sophisticated and powerful telescopes, astronomers have captured these stunning photos of everything from surreal nebulas and swirling galaxies to sparkling star clusters and monstrous interstellar clouds.
  • Slide 2 of 31: As well as showing off the shells and knots of expanding gas in the Twin Jet Nebula, the Hubble Space Telescope also reveals two iridescent lobes. Each lobe contains gargantuan gas jets that stream outwards at more than one million kilometres per hour (621,400 miles per hour).
  • Slide 3 of 31: This Hubble Space Telescope photo displays the hot blue gas near the energizing central star of the Ring Nebula. Green and yellow gas appear further out, with red gas visible along the outer edge.
  • Slide 4 of 31: This enthralling edge-on view of this spiral galaxy was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Massive clouds of gas and dust extend along and above the galaxy’s main disk, which is 55 million light-years from Earth.
  • Slide 5 of 31: The Hubble Space Telescope captures the Ant Nebula as it goes matching across the cosmos some 8,000 light-years away from Earth. Because the central star is similar to the Sun, it is thought that the Ant Nebula could provide clues to how our solar system might one day perish.
  • Slide 6 of 31: Blazing with the equivalent light of 3.2 million suns, this Spitzer Space Telescope image shows the Peony nebula star in full spectacular bloom.
  • Slide 7 of 31: Discovered more than a century ago, the iconic Horsehead Nebula is photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope against a backdrop of Milky Way stars. Located in the constellation Orion, the nebula is 1,300 light-years from the Sun.
  • Slide 8 of 31: In the constellation Aquarius some 650 light-years away, the eye-like Helix Nebula seems to be staring right at us when photographed by the Spitzer Space Telescope.
  • Slide 9 of 31: Also known as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, the Antennae Galaxies have spent hundreds of millions of years ripping stars away from each other. This remarkable Hubble Space Telescope image shows the arc of stars streaming between the struggling pair.
  • Slide 10 of 31: The Egg Nebula, photographed here by the Hubble Space Telescope, was the first pre-planetary nebula to be discovered. Because this type of nebula is very dim, it was spotted less than 40 years ago. It may be dim, but it is spectacular nonetheless.
  • Slide 11 of 31: Among the most dynamic and intricate astronomical objects ever observed, this stunning image of the Crab Nebula is made up of 24 individual exposures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • Slide 12 of 31: This dazzling cluster is home to some of the brightest stars in the Milky Way. Another denizen of the Carina Nebula, Trumpler 14 is only 500,000 years old—very youthful in cosmic terms.
  • Slide 13 of 31: The Cat's Eye Nebula, one of the first planetary nebulae discovered, is made up of 11 rings of gas, each of which contains as much mass as all the planets in our solar system combined. This Hubble Space Telescope image reveals the nebula’s onion-like appearance.
  • Slide 14 of 31: This young nebula’s hourglass shape is fitting, given that time is running out for the dying star at its heart. This arresting image was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • Slide 15 of 31: Located some 3,000 light-years away in the constellation of Sagittarius, the Red Spider Nebula is home to one of the hottest stars yet discovered. The nebula’s stellar winds generate waves 100 billion kilometres (62.4 billion miles) high.
  • Slide 16 of 31: The warped dusty disc of this glowing galaxy, photographed edge-on by the Hubble Space Telescope, reveals the birth of myriad new stars.
  • Slide 17 of 31: Also known as the Rotten Egg Nebula owing to its high sulphur content, the Calabash Nebula is the result of the death of a Sun-like star. This Hubble Space Telescope photo shows the dead star evolving into a planetary nebula.
  • Slide 18 of 31: The Hubble Space Telescope snapped this frothy sea of glowing green hydrogen gas, mixed with blue oxygen and red sulphur, some 5,500 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius.
  • Slide 19 of 31: Looking humorously similar to a gigantic contact lens—imagine how much solution it would need—this remnant of a Type Ia supernova lies 170,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy.
  • Slide 20 of 31: This mesmerizing pillar of interstellar dust and gas, photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope, teems with new star-forming activity some 7,500 light-years away in its namesake constellation.
  • Slide 21 of 31: About 65 light-years across, the Jellyfish Nebula displays ionized silicon and sulphur, which are signs of a relatively recent supernova.
  • Slide 22 of 31: Located 28 million light-years from Earth in the Virgo cluster of galaxies, the aptly-named Sombrero is 50,000 light-years across and burns with the equivalent of 800 billion suns.
  • Slide 23 of 31: This monstrous section of the Cone Nebula accounts for less than a third of its seven-light-year total length. Located in the constellation Monoceros, the nebula is 2,500 light-years from Earth.
  • Slide 24 of 31: About 1,000 times more massive than the Milky Way, and with a supermassive black hole at its centre, this incredibly distant galaxy shows off its mind-boggling jets to the Hubble Space Telescope and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico.
  • Slide 25 of 31: The expanding remnants of a gigantic star that exploded around 8,000 years ago, the Veil Nebula is 110 light-years across and located 2,100 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus.
  • Slide 26 of 31: Cool interstellar hydrogen gas and dust form bizarre pillars in the Eagle Nebula, a prime star-incubating region some 7,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Serpens.
  • Slide 27 of 31: Located about 30,000 light-years away in the constellation of Carina, the blue bubble encircling WR 31a is comprised of interstellar dust and gases such as hydrogen and helium. Photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope, the bubble is expanding at 220,000 kilometres per hour (136,700 miles per hour).
  • Slide 28 of 31: The Tarantula Nebula, photographed here using the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, is home to about 2,400 massive stars, which emit intense radiation and produce powerful interstellar winds.
  • Slide 29 of 31: When Hubble met Bubble: Seven light-years across, the delicate-looking Bubble Nebula is located 7,100 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia.
  • Slide 30 of 31: This young star in the LDN 981 cloud is in the process of becoming a main-sequence star like the Sun. Because the Hubble Space Telescope was able to photograph one of V1331 Cyg’s poles, astronomers can look for the beginnings of planets orbiting it.
  • Slide 31 of 31: Located in the constellation of Sagittarius about 6,000 light-years away, the Little Gem Nebula looks a bit like Earth. Looks can be deceiving, however, what with the nebula being about 370 million times wider than our home planet.
Full screen
1/31 SLIDES © NASA

Mind-blowing photos of the universe

The universe took its time creating the astronomical eye candy on this list—13.7 billion years, give or take—but the results are definitely worth the wait. Using the world’s most sophisticated and powerful telescopes, astronomers have captured these stunning photos of everything from surreal nebulas and swirling galaxies to sparkling star clusters and monstrous interstellar clouds.

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2/31 SLIDES © NASA

Twin Jet Nebula

As well as showing off the shells and knots of expanding gas in the Twin Jet Nebula, the Hubble Space Telescope also reveals two iridescent lobes. Each lobe contains gargantuan gas jets that stream outwards at more than one million kilometres per hour (621,400 miles per hour).

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3/31 SLIDES © NASA

Ring Nebula

This Hubble Space Telescope photo displays the hot blue gas near the energizing central star of the Ring Nebula. Green and yellow gas appear further out, with red gas visible along the outer edge.

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4/31 SLIDES © NASA

Galaxy NGC 4013

This enthralling edge-on view of this spiral galaxy was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Massive clouds of gas and dust extend along and above the galaxy’s main disk, which is 55 million light-years from Earth.

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5/31 SLIDES © NASA

Ant Nebula

The Hubble Space Telescope captures the Ant Nebula as it goes matching across the cosmos some 8,000 light-years away from Earth. Because the central star is similar to the Sun, it is thought that the Ant Nebula could provide clues to how our solar system might one day perish.

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6/31 SLIDES © NASA

Peony nebula star

Blazing with the equivalent light of 3.2 million suns, this Spitzer Space Telescope image shows the Peony nebula star in full spectacular bloom.

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7/31 SLIDES © NASA

Horsehead Nebula

Discovered more than a century ago, the iconic Horsehead Nebula is photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope against a backdrop of Milky Way stars. Located in the constellation Orion, the nebula is 1,300 light-years from the Sun.

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8/31 SLIDES © NASA

Helix Nebula

In the constellation Aquarius some 650 light-years away, the eye-like Helix Nebula seems to be staring right at us when photographed by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

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9/31 SLIDES © NASA

Antennae Galaxies

Also known as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, the Antennae Galaxies have spent hundreds of millions of years ripping stars away from each other. This remarkable Hubble Space Telescope image shows the arc of stars streaming between the struggling pair.

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10/31 SLIDES © NASA

Egg Nebula

The Egg Nebula, photographed here by the Hubble Space Telescope, was the first pre-planetary nebula to be discovered. Because this type of nebula is very dim, it was spotted less than 40 years ago. It may be dim, but it is spectacular nonetheless.

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11/31 SLIDES © NASA

Crab Nebula

Among the most dynamic and intricate astronomical objects ever observed, this stunning image of the Crab Nebula is made up of 24 individual exposures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

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12/31 SLIDES © NASA

Trumpler 14 star cluster

This dazzling cluster is home to some of the brightest stars in the Milky Way. Another denizen of the Carina Nebula, Trumpler 14 is only 500,000 years old—very youthful in cosmic terms.

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13/31 SLIDES © NASA

Cat's Eye Nebula

The Cat's Eye Nebula, one of the first planetary nebulae discovered, is made up of 11 rings of gas, each of which contains as much mass as all the planets in our solar system combined. This Hubble Space Telescope image reveals the nebula’s onion-like appearance.

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14/31 SLIDES © NASA

MyCn18 planetary nebula

This young nebula’s hourglass shape is fitting, given that time is running out for the dying star at its heart. This arresting image was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.

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15/31 SLIDES © NASA

Red Spider Nebula

Located some 3,000 light-years away in the constellation of Sagittarius, the Red Spider Nebula is home to one of the hottest stars yet discovered. The nebula’s stellar winds generate waves 100 billion kilometres (62.4 billion miles) high.

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16/31 SLIDES © NASA

Galaxy ESO 510 G13

The warped dusty disc of this glowing galaxy, photographed edge-on by the Hubble Space Telescope, reveals the birth of myriad new stars.

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17/31 SLIDES © NASA

Calabash Nebula

Also known as the Rotten Egg Nebula owing to its high sulphur content, the Calabash Nebula is the result of the death of a Sun-like star. This Hubble Space Telescope photo shows the dead star evolving into a planetary nebula.

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18/31 SLIDES © NASA

Omega Nebula

The Hubble Space Telescope snapped this frothy sea of glowing green hydrogen gas, mixed with blue oxygen and red sulphur, some 5,500 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius.

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19/31 SLIDES © NASA

Supernova remnant 0509-67.5

Looking humorously similar to a gigantic contact lens—imagine how much solution it would need—this remnant of a Type Ia supernova lies 170,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy.

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20/31 SLIDES © NASA

Carina Nebula

This mesmerizing pillar of interstellar dust and gas, photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope, teems with new star-forming activity some 7,500 light-years away in its namesake constellation.

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21/31 SLIDES © NASA

Jellyfish Nebula

About 65 light-years across, the Jellyfish Nebula displays ionized silicon and sulphur, which are signs of a relatively recent supernova.

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22/31 SLIDES © NASA

Sombrero galaxy

Located 28 million light-years from Earth in the Virgo cluster of galaxies, the aptly-named Sombrero is 50,000 light-years across and burns with the equivalent of 800 billion suns.

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23/31 SLIDES © NASA

Cone Nebula

This monstrous section of the Cone Nebula accounts for less than a third of its seven-light-year total length. Located in the constellation Monoceros, the nebula is 2,500 light-years from Earth.

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24/31 SLIDES © NASA

Hercules A galaxy

About 1,000 times more massive than the Milky Way, and with a supermassive black hole at its centre, this incredibly distant galaxy shows off its mind-boggling jets to the Hubble Space Telescope and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico.

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25/31 SLIDES © NASA

Veil Nebula

The expanding remnants of a gigantic star that exploded around 8,000 years ago, the Veil Nebula is 110 light-years across and located 2,100 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus.

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26/31 SLIDES © NASA

Eagle Nebula

Cool interstellar hydrogen gas and dust form bizarre pillars in the Eagle Nebula, a prime star-incubating region some 7,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Serpens.

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27/31 SLIDES © NASA

Wolf-Rayet star 31a

Located about 30,000 light-years away in the constellation of Carina, the blue bubble encircling WR 31a is comprised of interstellar dust and gases such as hydrogen and helium. Photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope, the bubble is expanding at 220,000 kilometres per hour (136,700 miles per hour).

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28/31 SLIDES © NASA

Tarantula Nebula

The Tarantula Nebula, photographed here using the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, is home to about 2,400 massive stars, which emit intense radiation and produce powerful interstellar winds.

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29/31 SLIDES © NASA

Bubble Nebula

When Hubble met Bubble: Seven light-years across, the delicate-looking Bubble Nebula is located 7,100 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia.

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30/31 SLIDES © NASA

V1331 Cyg

This young star in the LDN 981 cloud is in the process of becoming a main-sequence star like the Sun. Because the Hubble Space Telescope was able to photograph one of V1331 Cyg’s poles, astronomers can look for the beginnings of planets orbiting it.

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31/31 SLIDES © NASA

Little Gem Nebula

Located in the constellation of Sagittarius about 6,000 light-years away, the Little Gem Nebula looks a bit like Earth. Looks can be deceiving, however, what with the nebula being about 370 million times wider than our home planet.

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31/31 SLIDES
1/31 SLIDES