Hubble image of variable star RS Puppis: This Hubble image shows RS Puppis, a type of variable star known as a Cepheid variable. As variable stars go, Cepheids have comparatively long periods — RS Puppis, for example, varies in brightness by almost a factor of five every 40 or so days. RS Puppis is unusual; this variable star is shrouded by thick, dark clouds of dust enabling a phenomenon known as a light echo to be shown with stunning clarity. These Hubble observations show the ethereal object embedded in its dusty environment, set against a dark sky filled with background galaxies.

Name: RS Puppis
Type: Milky Way : Star : Type : Variable : PulsatingMilky Way : Nebula : Appearance : Reflection : Light Echo
Category: NebulaeStars
Constellation: Puppis
Distance: 6500 light years
Release date: 17 December 2013, 16:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-Hubble/Europe CollaborationAcknowledgment: H. Bond (STScI and Penn State University)

The location of RS Puppis within the Milky Way (artist’s impression): This artist's impression shows the location of the Cepheid star RS Pup in our Galaxy. From ESO NTT observations of the echoes on several nebular features, the distance of RS Pup was found to be 6,500 light-years, with an uncertainty of 90 light-years. RS Pup is distant by about a quarter of the distance between the Sun and the Centre of the Milky Way. RS Pup is located within the Galactic plane, in a very populated region of our Galaxy.

Name: RS Puppis
Type: Milky Way : Star : Type : Variable : Pulsating
Category: Illustrations
Release date: 17 December 2013, 16:00
Credit: ESA/Hubble & ESO

Wide-field image of RS Puppis (ground-based image): This image from the Digitized Sky Survey shows variable star RS Puppis and its surroundings. This field is rich in intriguing astronomical objects. RS Pup is the bright star right in the centre of the frame. It is a type of variable star known as a Cepheid variable. As variable stars go, Cepheids have comparatively long periods — RS Puppis, for example, varies in brightness by almost a factor of five every 40 or so days. RS Puppis is unusual; this variable star is shrouded by thick, dark clouds of dust enabling a phenomenon known as a light echo to be shown with stunning clarity. Also visible towards the bottom centre of the field is another variable star known as Y Puppis. Like RS Puppis, it too is a pulsating star, although its period is a little less regular. It is part of a multiple star system over 400 light-years away from us. This star is very bright in the infrared, and is seen as a fiery red colour. Just to the right of Y Puppis is another intriguing object known as V351 Puppis, or Nova Pup 1991, shown as the rather distinctive yellow object. This star expelled its outer layers into the surrounding space in 1991, forming nebulous shells of gas.

Name: RS Puppis
Type: Milky Way : Star : Type : Variable : PulsatingMilky Way : Nebula : Appearance : Reflection : Light Echo
Category: NebulaeStars
Constellation: Puppis
Distance: 6500 light years
Release date: 17 December 2013, 16:00
Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA & Digitized Sky Survey 2Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin

Hubble Frontier Fields view of Abell 2744: This image of Abell 2744 is the first to come from Hubble's Frontier Fields observing programme, which is using the magnifying power of enormous galaxy clusters to peer deep into the distant Universe. Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora's Cluster, is thought to have a very violent history, having formed from a cosmic pile-up of multiple galaxy clusters. Abell 2744 is the first of six targets for an observing programme known as Frontier Fields. This three-year, 840-orbit programme will yield our deepest views of the Universe to date, using the power of Hubble to explore more distant regions of space than could otherwise be seen, by observing gravitational lensing effects around six different galaxy clusters.

Name: Abell 2744
Type: Local Universe : Galaxy : Grouping : ClusterLocal Universe : Cosmology : Phenomenon : Lensing
Category: CosmologyGalaxies
Constellation: Sculptor
Distance: z=0.308 (redshift)
Release date: 7 January 2014, 20:15
Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Lotz, M. Mountain, A. Koekemoer,  and the HFF Team (STScI).

New Hubble infrared view of the Tarantula Nebula: This new Hubble image shows a cosmic creepy-crawly known as the Tarantula Nebula in infrared light. This region is full of star clusters, glowing gas, and thick dark dust. Created using observations taken as part of the Hubble Tarantula Treasury Project (HTTP), this image was snapped using Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The Hubble Tarantula Treasury Project (HTTP) is scanning and imaging many of the many millions of stars within the Tarantula, mapping out the locations and properties of the nebula's stellar inhabitants. These observations will help astronomers to piece together an understanding of the nebula's skeleton, viewing its starry structure.

Name: 30 Doradus Nebula, R136, Tarantula Nebula
Type: Local Universe : Nebula : Appearance : Emission : H II Region
Category: Nebulae
Constellation: Dorado
Distance: 150000 light years
Release date: 9 January 2014, 16:15
Credit: NASA, ESA, E. Sabbi (STScI)

New Hubble infrared view of the Tarantula Nebula: This new Hubble image shows a cosmic creepy-crawly known as the Tarantula Nebula in infrared light. This region is full of star clusters, glowing gas, and thick dark dust. Created using observations taken as part of the Hubble Tarantula Treasury Project (HTTP), this image was snapped using Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The Hubble Tarantula Treasury Project (HTTP) is scanning and imaging many of the many millions of stars within the Tarantula, mapping out the locations and properties of the nebula's stellar inhabitants. These observations will help astronomers to piece together an understanding of the nebula's skeleton, viewing its starry structure.

Name: 30 Doradus Nebula, R136, Tarantula Nebula
Type: Local Universe : Nebula : Appearance : Emission : H II Region
Category: Nebulae
Constellation: Dorado
Distance: 150000 light years
Release date: 9 January 2014, 16:15
Credit: NASA, ESA, E. Sabbi (STScI)

New Hubble infrared view of the Tarantula Nebula: This new Hubble image shows a cosmic creepy-crawly known as the Tarantula Nebula in infrared light. This region is full of star clusters, glowing gas, and thick dark dust. Created using observations taken as part of the Hubble Tarantula Treasury Project (HTTP), this image was snapped using Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The Hubble Tarantula Treasury Project (HTTP) is scanning and imaging many of the many millions of stars within the Tarantula, mapping out the locations and properties of the nebula's stellar inhabitants. These observations will help astronomers to piece together an understanding of the nebula's skeleton, viewing its starry structure.

Name: 30 Doradus Nebula, R136, Tarantula Nebula
Type: Local Universe : Nebula : Appearance : Emission : H II Region
Category: Nebulae
Constellation: Dorado
Distance: 150000 light years
Release date: 9 January 2014, 16:15
Credit: NASA, ESA, E. Sabbi (STScI)