Tracing the origin of the Magellanic Stream: These images show wide and close-up views of a long ribbon of gas called the Magellanic Stream, which stretches nearly halfway around the Milky Way. In the combined radio and visible-light image at the top, the gaseous stream is shown in pink. The radio observations from the Leiden/Argentine/Bonn (LAB) Survey have been combined with the Mellinger All-Sky Panorama in visible light. The Milky Way is the light blue band in the centre of the image. The brown clumps are interstellar dust clouds in our galaxy. The Magellanic Clouds, satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, are the white regions at the bottom right. The image at the bottom, taken at radio wavelengths, is a close-up map of the Magellanic Stream that also was generated from the LAB Survey. Researchers determined the chemistry of the gas filament by using Hubble's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) to measure the amount of heavy elements, such as oxygen and sulphur, at six locations (marked with an "x") along the Magellanic Stream. COS observed light from faraway quasars that passed through the stream, and detected the spectral fingerprints of these elements from the way they absorb ultraviolet light. Quasars are the brilliant cores of active galaxies. These observations show that most of the gas was stripped from the Small Magellanic Cloud about two billion years ago — but surprisingly, a second region of the stream was formed more recently from the Large Magellanic Cloud. The pink circles to the right mark the location of the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds.

Name: Large Magellanic Cloud, Magellanic Stream, Milky Way, Small Magellanic Cloud
Type: Milky WayLocal Universe : Galaxy
Category: Galaxies
Release date: 8 August 2013, 16:00
Credit: Credit for the radio/visible light image: David L. Nidever, et al., NRAO/AUI/NSF and Mellinger, LAB Survey, Parkes Observatory, Westerbork Observatory, and Arecibo Observatory. Credit for the radio image: LAB Survey

All-sky view of the Magellanic Stream (radio/visible-light): This image shows a long ribbon of gas called the Magellanic Stream, which stretches nearly halfway around the Milky Way. In this combined radio and visible-light image, the gaseous stream is shown in pink. The radio observations are taken from the Leiden/Argentine/Bonn (LAB) Survey. The Milky Way is the light blue band in the centre of the image. The brown clumps are interstellar dust clouds in our galaxy. The Magellanic Clouds, satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, are the white regions at the bottom right.

Name: Large Magellanic Cloud, Magellanic Stream, Milky Way, Small Magellanic Cloud
Type: Milky WayLocal Universe : Galaxy
Category: Galaxies
Release date: 8 August 2013, 16:00
Credit: David L. Nidever, et al., NRAO/AUI/NSF and Mellinger, Leiden/Argentine/Bonn Survey, Parkes Observatory, Westerbork Observatory, and Arecibo Observatory.

The Hubble Sequence throughout the Universe's history: This image shows "slices" of the Universe at different times throughout its history (present day, and at 4 and 11 billion years ago). Each slice goes further back in time, showing how galaxies of each type appear. The shape is that of the Hubble tuning fork diagram, which describes and separates galaxies according to their morphology into spiral (S), elliptical (E), and lenticular (S0) galaxies. On the left of this diagram are the ellipticals, with lenticulars in the  middle, and the spirals branching out on the right side. The spirals on the bottom branch have bars cutting through their centres. The present-day Universe shows big, fully formed and intricate galaxy shapes. As we go further back in time, they become smaller and less mature, as these galaxies are still in the process of forming. This image is illustrative. the Hubble images of nearby and distant galaxies used were selected based on their appearance; their individual distances are only approximate.

Name: Hubble Galaxy Classification
Type: Unspecified : GalaxyUnspecified : Cosmology
Category: CosmologyGalaxies
Release date: 15 August 2013, 15:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Kornmesser

The present day Universe: This image shows a "slice" of the Universe as it is today. The shape is that of the Hubble tuning fork diagram, which describes and separates galaxies according to their morphology into spiral (S), elliptical (E), and lenticular (S0) galaxies. On the left of this diagram are the ellipticals, with lenticulars in the middle, and the spirals branching out on the right side. The spirals on the bottom branch have bars cutting through their centres. Our local Universe displays big, fully formed and intricate galaxy shapes. This image is illustrative; the Hubble images used were selected based on their appearance. The individual distances to these galaxies are only approximate.

Name: Hubble Galaxy Classification
Type: Local Universe : GalaxyLocal Universe : Cosmology
Category: CosmologyGalaxies
Release date: 15 August 2013, 15:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Kornmesser

The Universe 4 billion years ago: This image shows a "slice" of the Universe some 4 billion years back in time. The shape is that of the Hubble tuning fork diagram, which describes and separates galaxies according to their morphology into spiral (S), elliptical (E), and lenticular (S0) galaxies. On the left of this diagram are the ellipticals, with lenticulars in the  middle, and the spirals branching out on the right side. The spirals on the bottom branch have bars cutting through their centres. The galaxies at these distances from us are small and still not fully-formed, but have some defined colour and structure. This image is illustrative; the Hubble images used were selected based on their appearance. The individual distances to these galaxies are only approximate.

Name: Hubble Galaxy Classification
Type: Early Universe : GalaxyEarly Universe : Cosmology
Category: CosmologyGalaxies
Release date: 15 August 2013, 15:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Kornmesser