RoundupReads The (Celestial) Objects of Our Affection

The (Celestial) Objects of Our Affection

by Catherine Ragin Williams | 2021-02-11

For many, Valentine’s Day has evolved into a trite, candy-coated commercial spectacle lacking in true feeling. But there’s one enduring love that continues to stand the test of time, and that’s humanity’s love affair with the universe.

Since NASA’s inception, we have been searching for our destiny in the cosmos. Entranced by far-off planets and possibilities, some might even accuse us of wanting what we — in theory, anyway — can’t have.

But with Valentine-themed space images such as these, can you really blame us for always looking for that next-best otherworldly destination?

Roses are … stellar, obviously.

This image of a pair of interacting galaxies, called Arp 273, was released to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the launch of the NASA/ESA (European Space Agency) Hubble Space Telescope. The distorted shape of the larger of the two galaxies shows signs of tidal interactions with the smaller of the two. It is thought that the smaller galaxy has actually passed through the larger one.

This image of a pair of interacting galaxies, called Arp 273, was released to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the launch of the NASA/ESA (European Space Agency) Hubble Space Telescope. The distorted shape of the larger of the two galaxies shows signs of tidal interactions with the smaller of the two. It is thought that the smaller galaxy has actually passed through the larger one.

Credits: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

 

This ring is priceless.

The narrow galaxy elegantly curving around its spherical companion in this image is a fantastic example of a truly strange and very rare phenomenon. This image, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, depicts GAL-CLUS-022058s, located in the southern hemisphere constellation of Fornax (The Furnace). GAL-CLUS-022058s is the largest and one of the most complete Einstein rings ever discovered in our universe.

The narrow galaxy elegantly curving around its spherical companion in this image is a fantastic example of a truly strange and very rare phenomenon. This image, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, depicts GAL-CLUS-022058s, located in the southern hemisphere constellation of Fornax (The Furnace). GAL-CLUS-022058s is the largest and one of the most complete Einstein rings ever discovered in our universe.

Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, S. Jha

When one ring is not enough.

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 observed Saturn on June 20, 2019, as the planet made its closest approach to Earth.

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 observed Saturn on June 20, 2019, as the planet made its closest approach to Earth.

Credits: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley)

 

A celestial dance.

Advanced Camera for Surveys on NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured a spectacular pair of galaxies engaged in a celestial dance of cat and mouse — or, in this case, mouse and mouse.

Advanced Camera for Surveys on NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured a spectacular pair of galaxies engaged in a celestial dance of cat and mouse — or, in this case, mouse and mouse.

Located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices, the colliding galaxies have been nicknamed "The Mice" because of the long tails of stars and gas emanating from each galaxy. Otherwise known as NGC 4676, the pair will eventually merge into a single giant galaxy.

Credits: NASA, Holland Ford (JHU), the ACS Science Team and ESA

 

Can I be the center of your universe?

This luminous orb is the galaxy NGC 4621, better known as Messier 59. As this latter moniker indicates, the galaxy was listed in the famous catalogue of deep-sky objects compiled by French comet-hunter Charles Messier in 1779. However, German astronomer Johann Gottfried Koehler is credited with discovering the galaxy just days before Messier added it to his collection.

This luminous orb is the galaxy NGC 4621, better known as Messier 59. As this latter moniker indicates, the galaxy was listed in the famous catalogue of deep-sky objects compiled by French comet-hunter Charles Messier in 1779. However, German astronomer Johann Gottfried Koehler is credited with discovering the galaxy just days before Messier added it to his collection.   

Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, P. Cote

 

Too many fish, er, stars in the cosmic sea.

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals a glistening and ancient globular cluster named NGC 3201 — a gathering of hundreds of thousands of stars bound together by gravity. NGC 3201 was discovered in 1826 by the Scottish astronomer James Dunlop, who described it as a “pretty large, pretty bright” object that becomes “rather irregular” towards its center.

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals a glistening and ancient globular cluster named NGC 3201 — a gathering of hundreds of thousands of stars bound together by gravity. NGC 3201 was discovered in 1826 by the Scottish astronomer James Dunlop, who described it as a “pretty large, pretty bright” object that becomes “rather irregular” towards its center.

Whether this mysterious cluster was adopted by our galaxy or has for some reason evolved very differently to the family of clusters it grew up with, it is certainly an unusual astronomical beauty.

Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA

 

Veiled references.

This image shows a small section of the Veil Nebula as it was observed by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This section of the outer shell of the famous supernova remnant is in a region known as NGC 6960 or — more colloquially — the Witch’s Broom Nebula.

This image shows a small section of the Veil Nebula as it was observed by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This section of the outer shell of the famous supernova remnant is in a region known as NGC 6960 or — more colloquially — the Witch’s Broom Nebula.

Credits: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team

 

Ah, Carina (my “dear little one” in Italian).

Composed of gas and dust, the pictured pillar resides in a tempestuous stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, located 7500 light-years away in the southern constellation of Carina.

Composed of gas and dust, the pictured pillar resides in a tempestuous stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, located 7500 light-years away in the southern constellation of Carina.

Taken in visible light, the image shows the tip of the three-light-year-long pillar, bathed in the glow of light from hot, massive stars off the top of the image. Scorching radiation and fast winds (streams of charged particles) from these stars are sculpting the pillar and causing new stars to form within it. Streamers of gas and dust can be seen flowing off the top of the structure.

Credits: NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team

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