WFPC2 Mosaic of NGC 604 in M33: This full mosaic WFPC2 image shows a slightly larger area around NGC 604. The scale of this image is 2.5 arcminutes along the bottom.

Name: IRAS F01310+3024, M 33, Messier 33, NGC 604
Type: Local Universe : Nebula : Appearance : Emission : H II Region
Category: Nebulae
Constellation: Triangulum
Distance: 3 million light years
Release date: 4 December 2003, 15:00
Credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)

Hubble photographs turbulent neighborhood near eruptive star: A small portion of the rough-and-tumble neighborhood of swirling dust and gas near one of the most massive and eruptive stars in our galaxy is seen in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. This close-up view shows only a three light-year-wide portion of the entire Carina Nebula, which has a diameter of over 200 light-years. Located 8,000 light-years from Earth, the nebula can be seen in the southern sky with the naked eye. Dramatic dark dust knots and complex structures are sculpted by the high-velocity stellar winds and high-energy radiation from the ultra-luminous variable star called Eta Carinae, or Eta Car (located outside the picture). This image shows a region in the Carina Nebula between two large clusters of some of the most massive and hottest known stars.

Name: Carina Nebula, NGC 3372
Type: Milky Way : Nebula
Category: Nebulae
Constellation: Carina
Distance: 7500 light years
Release date: 6 November 2003, 15:00
Credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)

WFPC2 Mosaic of Carina Nebula Region: This NASA Hubble Space Telescope close-up view, taken with the Wide Field Planetary Camera, shows a three light-year-wide portion of the Carina Nebula, which has a diameter of over 200 light-years. This region in the Carina Nebula is between two large clusters of some of the hottest and most massive stars known. The dramatic dark dust knots and complex structures captured in this image are sculpted by the high-velocity stellar winds and high-energy radiation from an ultra-luminous variable star called Eta Carinae.

Name: Carina Nebula, NGC 3372
Type: Milky Way : Nebula
Category: Nebulae
Constellation: Carina
Distance: 7500 light years
Release date: 6 November 2003, 15:00
Credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Galaxy C153 in Cluster Abell 2125 (Composite): Trailing 200,000-light-year-long streamers of seething gas, a galaxy that was once like our Milky Way is being shredded as it plunges at 4.5 million miles per hour through the heart of a distant cluster of galaxies. In this unusually violent collision with ambient cluster gas, the galaxy is stripped down to its skeletal spiral arms as it is eviscerated of fresh hydrogen for making new stars.

Name: Abell 2125, C153
Type: Early Universe : Galaxy : Type : InteractingEarly Universe : Galaxy : Grouping : Cluster
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Draco
Distance: z=0.246 (redshift)
Release date: 6 January 2004, 15:30
Credit: NASA/ESA, W. Keel (U Alabama), F. Owen (NRAO), M. Ledlow (Gemini Obs.), and D. Wang (U Mass.)

Galaxy C153 in Cluster Abell 2125 in Visible (HST): Trailing 200,000-light-year-long streamers of seething gas, a galaxy that was once like our Milky Way is being shredded as it plunges at 4.5 million miles per hour through the heart of a distant cluster of galaxies. In this unusually violent collision with ambient cluster gas, the galaxy is stripped down to its skeletal spiral arms as it is eviscerated of fresh hydrogen for making new stars.

Name: Abell 2125, C153
Type: Early Universe : Galaxy : Type : InteractingEarly Universe : Galaxy : Grouping : Cluster
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Draco
Distance: z=0.246 (redshift)
Release date: 6 January 2004, 15:30
Credit: F. Owen (NRAO), W. Keel (U. AL), M. Ledlow (Gemini Obs.), G. Morrison (UNM), V. Andersen (U. AL)

Galaxy C153 in Cluster Abell 2125 in X-ray (Chandra): Trailing 200,000-light-year-long streamers of seething gas, a galaxy that was once like our Milky Way is being shredded as it plunges at 4.5 million miles per hour through the heart of a distant cluster of galaxies. In this unusually violent collision with ambient cluster gas, the galaxy is stripped down to its skeletal spiral arms as it is eviscerated of fresh hydrogen for making new stars.

Name: Abell 2125, C153
Type: Early Universe : Galaxy : Type : InteractingEarly Universe : Galaxy : Grouping : Cluster
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Draco
Distance: z=0.246 (redshift)
Release date: 6 January 2004, 15:30
Credit: Q. Daniel Wang (U Mass.)

Galaxy C153 in Cluster Abell 2125 in Radio (VLA): Trailing 200,000-light-year-long streamers of seething gas, a galaxy that was once like our Milky Way is being shredded as it plunges at 4.5 million miles per hour through the heart of a distant cluster of galaxies. In this unusually violent collision with ambient cluster gas, the galaxy is stripped down to its skeletal spiral arms as it is eviscerated of fresh hydrogen for making new stars.

Name: Abell 2125, C153
Type: Early Universe : Galaxy : Type : InteractingEarly Universe : Galaxy : Grouping : Cluster
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Draco
Distance: z=0.246 (redshift)
Release date: 6 January 2004, 15:30
Credit: F. Owen (NRAO)

Galaxy C153 in Cluster Abell 2125 from the Ground (KPNO): Trailing 200,000-light-year-long streamers of seething gas, a galaxy that was once like our Milky Way is being shredded as it plunges at 4.5 million miles per hour through the heart of a distant cluster of galaxies. In this unusually violent collision with ambient cluster gas, the galaxy is stripped down to its skeletal spiral arms as it is eviscerated of fresh hydrogen for making new stars.

Name: Abell 2125, C153
Type: Early Universe : Galaxy : Type : InteractingEarly Universe : Galaxy : Grouping : Cluster
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Draco
Distance: z=0.246 (redshift)
Release date: 6 January 2004, 15:30
Credit: F. Owen (NRAO), W. Keel (U. Alabama), R. Windhorst (ASU), E. Richards (U. Alabama)

An abrasive collision gives one galaxy a "black eye": A collision of two galaxies has left a merged star system with an unusual appearance as well as bizarre internal motions. Messier 64 (M64) has a spectacular dark band of absorbing dust in front of the galaxy's bright nucleus, giving rise to its nicknames of the "Black Eye" or "Evil Eye" galaxy. Fine details of the dark band are revealed in this image of the central portion of M64 obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. M64 is well known among amateur astronomers because of its appearance in small telescopes. It was first cataloged in the 18th century by the French astronomer Messier. Located in the northern constellation Coma Berenices, M64 resides roughly 17 million light-years from Earth.

Name: Black Eye Galaxy, Messier 64
Type: Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Coma Berenices
Distance: 18 million light years
Release date: 5 February 2004, 15:00
Credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)

Fading Supernova Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show: Seventeen years ago, astronomers spotted the brightest stellar explosion ever seen since the one observed by Johannes Kepler 400 years ago. Called SN 1987A, the titanic supernova explosion blazed with the power of 100,000,000 suns for several months following its discovery on Feb. 23, 1987. Although the supernova itself is now a million times fainter than 17 years ago, a new light show in the space surrounding it is just beginning.

Name: IRAS 05240-6948, SN 1987A
Type: Local Universe : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Supernova
Category: Stars
Constellation: Dorado
Distance: 170000 light years
Release date: 19 February 2004, 21:00
Credit: NASA/ESA, P. Challis, R. Kirshner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) and B. Sugerman (STScI )