Some cosmic wonders captured by the Hubble telescope

Core of Omega Centauri

A collection of nearly 10 million stars, Omega Centauri is the largest of about 150 "globular clusters" in the Milky Way.

V838 Monocerotis

In January 2002, V838 Mon temporarily became 600,000 times brighter than our Sun, until it faded in April 2002.

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1300

Bold and beautiful, NGC 1300 is a marvellous example of a barred spiral galaxy, thought to be the structure of the Milky Way.

Stephan's Quintet

Four distant galaxies that are connected to each other through gravity and one bluer "imposter" that is closer.

Antennae Galaxies

This celestial firestorm is the blazing wreckage of a collision between two spiral galaxies.

Sombrero Galaxy

Roughly 29 million light-years away, the Sombrero can be spotted with a modest telescope. Note: whoever named this saw their chance and took it!!

Galaxy M83

The pink clouds of hydrogen gas that dot the galaxy's spiral arms are nurseries where new stars are being born.

Star Cluster NGC 602

The cluster of blue stars formed when a large part of the gas cloud collapsed under gravity and became very dense.

Cat's Eye Nebula

A visual "fossil record" of the dynamics and late evolution of a dying star.

'Butterfly Nebula'

What resemble dainty wings are actually roiling regions of gas heated to more than 20,000 degrees Celsius.

Pillars in the Monkey Head Nebula

A region of star birth located 6,400 light-years away. This is detail from the "monkey's eye".

Crab Nebula

An expanding remnant of a star's supernova explosion.

The Carina Nebula

An immense cloud of gas and dust where a maelstrom of star birth and death is taking place.

Supernova Remnant 0509-67.5

This cosmic bubble might look delicate, but it is the gaseous remains of a star that blew up.

Heart of the Tarantula Nebula

Several million young stars reside in a nearby region of frenzied star birth known as 30 Doradus.