Hubble 2007 - caution, graphic heavy

[Amelia]

A large, panoramic image of the Carina Nebula taken with NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's cameras. The image, released April 24, 2007, shows a 50 light-year-wide view of the tumultuous central region of the nebula

This image from the Hubble telescope shows a towering "mountain" of cold hydrogen gas laced with dust, the site of new star formation. A pencil-like streamer of gas shoots out in both directions from the pillar. The jet is being launched from a newly forming star hidden inside the column. A similar jet appears near the bottom of the image.These stellar jets are a common signature of the birth of a new star.

(NASA-ESA/ AP Photo)

The latest image from the Hubble telescope reveals a sharp view of the spiral galaxy NGC 2397. This image also shows a rare Hubble view of the early stages of a supernova discovered in March 2006.

Probing a glowing bubble of gas and dust encircling a dying Sun-like star, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope reveals a wealth of previously unseen structures in planetary nebula NGC 2371. The remnant star visible at the center of NGC 2371 is the super-hot core of the former red giant, now stripped of its outer layers. Its surface temperature is a scorching 240,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Prominent pink clouds of cool, dense gas lie on opposite sides of the central star. Also striking are the numerous, very small pink dots, marking relatively dense and small knots of gas, which also lie on diametrically opposite sides of the star. NGC 2371 lies about 4,300 light-years away in the constellation Gemini. The Hubble Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 images were taken in November 2007.

(NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA))

A powerful jet from a supermassive black hole is blasting a nearby galaxy, according to new results from NASA. This composite image shows the jet from a black hole at the center of a galaxy striking the edge of another galaxy, the first time such an interaction has been found. In the image, data from several wavelengths have been combined. X rays from Chandra (colored purple), optical and ultraviolet (UV) data from Hubble (red and orange), and radio emission from the Very Large Array (VLA) and MERLIN (blue) show how the jet from the main galaxy on the lower left is striking its companion galaxy to the upper right. The jet impacts the companion galaxy at its edge and is then disrupted and deflected, much like how a stream of water from a hose will splay out after hitting a wall at an angle.

(NASA/CXC/CfA/D.Evans et al.; Optical/UV: NASA/STScI; Radio: NSF/VLA/CfA/D.Evans et al., STFC/JBO/MERLIN)

The newest Hubble image of spiral galaxy M74 resembles festive lights on a holiday wreath. Bright knots of glowing gas light up the spiral arms, indicating a rich environment of star formation.

(NASA

[Bravus]

Utterly spectacular images. In the set of science textbooks I've just finished writing with a colleague one of my jobs was to try to use words to capture the sheer scale and beauty of the universe. I did my best, but nothing beats images like these for that job. He is truly an astonishing Creator.

[Amelia]

Doesn't the last image remind you of the shell of a Nautilus?

[Bravus]

'As above, so below'