Buzz
The Hubble Telescope is a household name for a reason. Despite measuring less than eight feet in length, it has provided us with 23 years of not only extraordinary scientific revelations about the universe but also some of the most awe-inspiring photographs ever taken. Below, I’ve gathered ten of what I consider to be the most stunning images.
10. The Quadruple Eclipse
A breathtaking view of Saturn, accompanied by four of its moons: Enceladus, Dione, Titan, and Mimas.
This image, taken in 2009, clearly shows four of Saturn’s moons. From left to right, you can see the smaller moons Enceladus and Dione, their dark shadows cast on Saturn’s surface; the large orange moon Titan, about twice the size of Earth's Moon; and on the far edge of the planet, the icy moon Mimas.
9. The Sagittarius Star Cloud
The Hubble telescope uncovers some of the oldest stars in the galaxy.
I had to verify the authenticity of this photo across multiple websites before including it in the article, as it seemed almost too incredible to be true. The Hubble Telescope peered into a small, dust-free region of space, revealing some of the oldest stars in the Milky Way. This discovery provides valuable insights for scientists to understand the formation and evolution of the galaxy.
8. Messier 104
Known as the “Sombrero Galaxy,” it is one of the largest objects in the Virgo cluster.
Messier 104, also called the “Sombrero Galaxy,” is located in the Virgo cluster of galaxies. It is 28 million light years away from Earth and spans 50,000 light years across. With a brightness equivalent to 800 billion suns, it is one of the largest objects in the Virgo cluster. Some believe there is a massive black hole at its center, and that the entire cluster is moving away from us at a rate of 700 miles per second.
7. NGC 6302
While NGC 6302 appears beautiful, its 'wings' are actually the result of a gas explosion.
NGC 6302, affectionately known, resides in our Milky Way. It formed after the death of a star about five times the mass of our sun. The explosion released gas at 36,000 degrees Fahrenheit, expanding at an astounding 600,000 miles per hour. This striking image was captured using a wide-field camera in 2009.
6. The Gigantic Pinwheel
The Gigantic Pinwheel is twice the size of the Milky Way and contains over a trillion stars.
This galaxy, located in Ursa Major, is about 21 million light years away from Earth and spans roughly 170,000 light years across. That’s roughly double the size of the Milky Way. It’s believed to have more than a trillion stars, with around 100 billion of them being similar to our Sun.
5. The Lagoon Nebula
The Lagoon Nebula is one of only two nebulae visible to the naked eye.
Located approximately 4,000-6,000 light years away in the Sagittarius constellation, the Lagoon Nebula is one of only two nebulae visible to the naked eye in mid-northern latitudes. However, a direct view won’t come close to the clarity of this photograph. In this image, you can observe waves of gas and dust breaking apart, giving it a sandy appearance.
4. R136
R136 is home to some of the largest known blue stars.
This is one of the most detailed images we have from the Hubble Telescope. Not only is this a relatively young cluster of stars, but some of the blue stars in the image are among the largest ever discovered: some are 100 times the size of our Sun. Captured in 2009, this image spans 100 light years across.
3. The Milky Way
Thanks to the combined efforts of two of the largest space telescopes, we now have the clearest image ever captured of the Galactic core.
After so many references to the Milky Way throughout the other entries, it’s only fitting to conclude with a photo of just that. This is a composite image of our galaxy’s center, created by merging the infra-red camera and multi-object spectrometer of the Hubble Space Telescope with color images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. The region visible in this image is approximately 20,000 light years away and spans 300 light years across.
2. Stellar Spire
Standing about 90 trillion kilometers tall, the Stellar Spire is an enormous tower of cold gas and dust.
This towering spire reaches a height of around 9.5 light years and is located in the Eagle Nebula. It may harbor newborn stars: some stars form when gas is compressed by gravity, while others might form due to the intense heat from nearby stars.
1. Omega Centauri
Omega Centauri is a tightly packed cluster of stars, located over 17,000 light years away from Earth.
Captured in 2002, this image features one of the largest among the 200 globular clusters orbiting the Milky Way: Omega Centauri. About 17,000 light years from Earth, the entire cluster houses roughly 10 million stars, with 2 million visible in this photograph.
