Untitled / Jenna Garrett / Sep 22nd, 2017 @ 16:15
01Try not to get dizzy staring into the galactic core of this gorgeous spiral galaxy dubbed NGC 6753. This massive object is just close enough to Earth to allow scientists to study the corona. The blues seen here are younger stars still in early formation, and the reds denote much older stars with cooler temperatures.
02Behold all the beautiful hues of Jupiter in this color-enhanced photo snapped by the Juno spacecraft just 4,700 miles above the planet.
03This red star is U Antilae, a star made mostly of carbon and resides 900 million light years from Earth. The European Southern Observatory captured this wide field image and thousands of other specs of stars, much further away.
04The star U Antilae is ready for its close up. In these pair of images the red carbon-rich star is surrounded by a bubble of material. Around 3000 years ago the star suddenly expelled a large portion of its mass, coalescing into this shell over a few hundred years. In the image on the right its shell is seen in unprecedented detail. By separating the colors of the star, scientists can tell the speed of the materials moving around the star.
05Scientists initially thought this object was a comet because of the iconic “tail” seen in this gif, but they now actually believe it to be two asteroids orbiting one another. Dubbed Asteroid 300163 (2006 VW139), this unique space dance takes place between two rocky bodies just 60 miles apart. Asteroid 300163 most likely occurred just 5000 years ago, after an impact broke one object in two.
06Saturn’s moon Iapetus is a bit lopsided — one side is brighter than the other. A popular theory is that the contrast is due to exterior dust falling on one side of the moon while shifting ice departs the other. Photos like the above taken by the Cassini spacecraft during its final days will help scientists learn even more about this strange moon.
