The proper motion path of Proxima Centauri: This plot shows the projected motion of the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri (green line) over the next decade, as plotted from NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations. Because of parallax caused by Earth’s motion around the Sun, the path appears scalloped. Because Proxima Centauri is the closest star to our Sun (at a distance of 4.2 light-years), its angular motion across the sky is relatively fast compared to far more distant background stars. This means that in 2014 and 2016 Proxima Centauri will pass in front of two background stars that are along its path. This affords astronomers a rare opportunity to study the warping of space by Proxima's gravity, as will be evident in the apparent displacement of the two stars in sky photographs. This effect is called gravitational lensing. The amount of warping will be used to calculate a precise mass for Proxima Centauri, and look for the gravitational footprint and any planets orbiting the star. The background image shows a wider view of the region of sky in the southern constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur) that Proxima is traversing.

Name: Proxima Centauri
Type: Milky Way : Star
Category: Stars
Distance: 4 light years
Release date: 3 June 2013, 18:16
Credit: NASA, ESA, K. Sahu and J. Anderson (STScI), H. Bond (STScI and  Pennsylvania State University), M. Dominik (University of St. Andrews), and Digitized Sky Survey (STScI/AURA/UKSTU/AAO)

Proxima Centauri microlensing prediction: This diagram shows the upcoming conjunction between the nearest star to our Sun, Proxima Centauri, and a distant background star. Proxima's gravitational field warps the space around it. This gravitational lensing effect distorts space like a funhouse mirror and bends the path of light from the background star. The result is that the apparent position of the star will shift slightly during Proxima Centauri's passage, as seen in the upper right diagram. If an unseen planet is orbiting Proxima Centauri the star's apparent position will be further offset, as seen in the bottom right frame.

Name: Proxima Centauri
Type: Milky Way : Star
Category: Stars
Distance: 4 light years
Release date: 3 June 2013, 18:16
Credit: A. Feild (STScI)

Stellar merger model for gamma-ray burst: This sequence illustrates a model for the formation of a short-duration gamma-ray burst:

Name: GRB 130603B
Type: Early Universe : Cosmology : Phenomenon : Gamma Ray Burst
Category: Cosmology
Release date: 5 August 2013, 12:32
Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)

Orbit of Neptune’s newly-discovered moon: This diagram shows the orbits of several moons located close to the planet Neptune. All of them were discovered in 1989 by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, with the exception of S/2004 N 1, which was discovered in archival Hubble Space Telescope images taken from 2004 to 2009. The moons all follow prograde orbits and are nestled among Neptune's rings (not shown). The outer moon Triton was discovered in 1846 — the same year the planet itself was discovered. Triton's orbit is retrograde, suggesting it is a captured Kuiper Belt object and therefore a distant cousin of Pluto. The inner moons may have formed after Triton's capture several billion years ago.

Name: Hippocamp, Neptune
Type: Solar System : Planet : Satellite
Category: Solar System
Release date: 16 July 2013, 15:18
Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)

Magnetic funnel around a supermassive black hole: The accretion disc of hot plasma swirling around a supermassive black hole generates powerful magnetic fields. The disc's rotation twists the field into a funnel shape. These field lines constrict and direct the outflow of high-speed plasma from the black hole's vicinity. The result is a narrow, tapered, extragalactic jet.

Type: Local Universe : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Black Hole
Category: Quasars and Black Holes
Release date: 23 August 2013, 08:36
Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)

Artist's view of watery asteroid in white dwarf star system GD 61: This is an artist's impression of a rocky and water-rich asteroid being torn apart by the strong gravity of the white dwarf star GD 61. Similar objects in our solar system likely delivered the bulk of water on Earth and represent the building blocks of the terrestrial planets.

Name: GD 61, WD0435+410
Type: Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : White Dwarf
Category: Stars
Distance: 150 light years
Release date: 11 October 2013, 10:53
Credit: NASA, ESA, M.A. Garlick (space-art.co.uk), University of Warwick, and University of Cambridge.