Dwarf galaxy DDO 68: This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows a cosmic oddity, dwarf galaxy DDO 68. This ragged collection of stars and gas clouds looks at first glance like a recently-formed galaxy in our own cosmic neighbourhood. But, is it really as young as it looks?

Name: DDO 68
Type: Local Universe : Galaxy : Size : Dwarf
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Leo
Distance: 40 million light years
Release date: 25 September 2014, 16:00
Credit: NASA, ESA Acknowledgement: A. Aloisi (Space Telescope Science Institute)

The area around dwarf galaxy DDO 68 (ground-based image): This image from the Digitized Sky Survey shows the area around dwarf galaxy DDO 68. This ragged collection of stars and gas clouds looks at first glance like a recently-formed galaxy in our own cosmic neighbourhood. But, is it really as young as it looks?

Name: DDO 68
Type: Local Universe : Galaxy : Size : Dwarf
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Leo
Release date: 25 September 2014, 16:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, Digitized Sky Survey 2 (Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin)

Exoplanet WASP-43b orbits its parent star: In this artist’s illustration the Jupiter-sized planet WASP-43b orbits its parent star in one of the closest orbits ever measured for an exoplanet of its size — with a year lasting just 19 hours. The planet is tidally locked, meaning it keeps one hemisphere facing the star, just as the Moon keeps one face toward Earth. The colour scale on the planet represents the temperature across its atmosphere. This is based on data from a recent study that mapped the temperature of WASP-43b in more detail than has been done for any other exoplanet.

Name: WASP-43b
Type: Milky Way : Planet
Category: Stars
Release date: 9 October 2014, 20:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI)

Exoplanet WASP-43b orbits its parent star — Annotated: In this artist’s illustration the Jupiter-sized planet WASP-43b orbits its parent star in one of the closest orbits ever measured for an exoplanet of its size — with a year lasting just 19 hours. The planet is tidally locked, meaning it keeps one hemisphere facing the star, just as the Moon keeps one face toward Earth. The colour scale on the planet represents the temperature across its atmosphere. This is based on data from a recent study that mapped the temperature of WASP-43b in more detail than has been done for any other exoplanet.

Name: WASP-43b
Type: Milky Way : Planet
Category: Stars
Release date: 9 October 2014, 20:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI)

Abell 2744 and three images of a distant galaxy: This is a NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of the huge galaxy cluster Abell 2744, taken using the Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys. The three annotated areas show three images of a single, very distant, galaxy whose light has taken 13 billion years to reach us. The galaxy has been magnified and multiplied by the cluster's effect on the space-time around it. By measuring the angular separations between the three magnified images of the galaxy a team of astronomers were able to further constrain their measurement of the galaxy's distance from Earth. Much like using your camera to focus on an object and then reading its distance from you on the lens focus ring. As a result, this is possibly the most reliable distance measurement yet for an object that existed in the Universe's formative years.

Name: Abell 2744
Type: Early Universe : Galaxy : Grouping : Cluster
Category: Galaxies
Release date: 16 October 2014, 19:00
Credit: NASA, ESA  Acknowledgement: A. Zitrin (California Institute of Technology, USA)

One of three magnified images of a distant galaxy (1): This image, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows one of three images of the same very distant galaxy whose light has taken 13 billion years to reach us. The galaxy has been magnified and multiply imaged by the lensing effect of the galaxy cluster Abell 2744. By measuring the angular separations between the three magnified images of the galaxy a team of astronomers were able to further constrain their measurement of the galaxy’s distance from Earth. Much like using your camera to focus on an object, and then reading its distance from you on the lens focus ring. This makes this possibly the most reliable distance measurement yet of an object that existed in the Universe’s formative years.

Type: Early Universe : Galaxy
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Sculptor
Release date: 16 October 2014, 19:00
Credit: NASA, ESA Acknowledgement: A. Zitrin (California Institute of Technology, USA)

One of three magnified images of a distant galaxy (2): This image, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows one of three images of the same very distant galaxy whose light has taken 13 billion years to reach us. The galaxy has been magnified and multiply imaged by the lensing effect of the galaxy cluster Abell 2744. By measuring the angular separations between the three magnified images of the galaxy a team of astronomers were able to further constrain their measurement of the galaxy’s distance from Earth. Much like using your camera to focus on an object, and then reading its distance from you on the lens focus ring. This makes this possibly the most reliable distance measurement yet of an object that existed in the Universe’s formative years.

Type: Early Universe : Galaxy
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Sculptor
Release date: 16 October 2014, 19:00
Credit: NASA, ESA Acknowledgement: A. Zitrin (California Institute of Technology, USA)

One of three magnified images of a distant galaxy (3): This image, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows one of three images of the same very distant galaxy whose light has taken 13 billion years to reach us. The galaxy has been magnified and multiply imaged by the lensing effect of the galaxy cluster Abell 2744. By measuring the angular separations between the three magnified images of the galaxy a team of astronomers were able to further constrain their measurement of the galaxy’s distance from Earth. Much like using your camera to focus on an object, and then reading its distance from you on the lens focus ring. This makes this possibly the most reliable distance measurement yet of an object that existed in the Universe’s formative years.

Type: Early Universe : Galaxy
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Sculptor
Release date: 16 October 2014, 19:00
Credit: NASA, ESA Acknowledgement: A. Zitrin (California Institute of Technology, USA)

Jets, bubbles and bursts of light in Taurus: The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has snapped a striking view of a multiple star system called XZ Tauri, its neighbour HL Tauri and several nearby young stellar objects. XZ Tauri is blowing a hot bubble of gas into the surrounding space, which is filled with bright and beautiful clumps that are emitting strong winds and jets. These objects illuminate the region, creating a truly dramatic scene.

Name: LDN 1551, XZ Tauri
Type: Local Universe : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Young Stellar ObjectLocal Universe : Nebula : Appearance : Dark
Category: NebulaeStars
Constellation: Taurus
Distance: 450 light years
Release date: 6 November 2014, 13:00
Credit: Image credit: ESA/Hubble and NASAAcknowledgement: Judy Schmidt