SPoW_Aug4_2017
01This glittering galaxy is officially named NGC 4656, but it also has a less official nickname “The Hockey Stick Galaxy,” due to its hockey-stick-shape at certain angles (though not in this image). This is probably because of nearby gravitational fields of elliptical galaxy NGC 4627 and NGC 4631, dubbed “The Whale Galaxy.”
02This side-by-side comparison of planetary nebula NGC 6563 shows off the new powers of the Very Large Telescope’s Adaptive Optics Facility and the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer instrument. Together they can capture celestial objects in sharper detail and contrast, seen in the above image.
03This AOF and MUSE photo of planetary nebula IC 4406 (also known as the Retina Nebula) showcases never-before-seen shells and dark dust structures.
04A sunspot put on a dramatic 13-day show for NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory with solar flares, a coronal mass ejection, and a solar energetic particle event. This composite photo features the sunspot in action using visible and extreme ultraviolet light.
05This photo shot by JunoCam documents Jupiter’s North North Temperate Little Red Spot 1, an anticyclonic oval churning around the outer regions of the planet’s north pole. It’s called an anticyclonic oval because the winds fly in the opposite direction of the surrounding low-pressure area. NN-LRS-1 is quite old and the third-largest of its kind, each about 3,700 miles long.
06The AOF captured another before-and-after of planetary nebula NGC 6369, the new image (featured right) present in much more detail.
07AOF and MUSE turned its gaze towards starburst galaxy ESO 338-4 in the middle of a merger with multiple smaller galaxies, causing rapid star formation.
08This stunning starry night features galaxy cluster PLCKESZ G286.6-31.3, seen faintly just off the center of this image captured by ESO’s Wide-Field Imager.
