Space Gallery

Orion nebula

Orion nebula. Coloured composite infrared and visible light image of the Orion nebula M42. This emission nebula, a cloud of gas and dust in which starbirth takes place, is found in the constellation Orion, some 1500 light years from Earth. Glowing clouds of ionised hydrogen and sulphur gases are green, and cool clouds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are orange and red. The gases are ionised by radiation from the four young Trapezium stars at the core (centre left). The small orange dots are embryonic stars, growing as they accumulate dust and gas. M42's neighbour, the M43 nebula, can also be seen (pale blue, top left). Infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, visible light data from the Hubble Space Telescope

© NASA/JPL-CALTECH/STSCI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Mars Exploration Rover

Mars Exploration Rover on the surface of Mars, artwork. The first of two identical NASA rovers, Spirit, landed on Mars on 4 January 2004. The second, Opportunity, landed on the other side of the planet on 24 January 2004. The rovers are powered by solar panels (black) and are mobile. Cameras mounted on the white mast give scientists panoramic views of the Martian surface. This enables them to instruct the rovers which rocks to analyse and where to look for water. Tools on board the golf buggy-sized rovers include spectrometers for analysing rock samples, a microscope and an abrasion tool. Each rover has a 90-day mission on the surface of Mars

© NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Eagle Nebula

Eagle Nebula. Optical image of the Eagle Nebula (M16, NGC 6611). This is an emission nebula, a cloud of gas that glows as the hydrogen gas it contains is ionised by radiation from the hot young stars within it. The stars in the cluster are about 5. 5 million years old, young in stellar terms. They formed from the coalescence of the nebula's gas. M16 is around 7000 light years from Earth in the constellation Serpens Cauda. This image was produced by a CCD (charge-coupled device) at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, USA.
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© NATIONAL OPTICAL ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORIES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY