16 Great Astronomy Photos

The Rose

A deep view of the Messier 57 nebula. Note the distant galaxy in the background. Image: Royal Observatory Greenwich/Josep Drudis (USA)

The Messier 57 nebula shown in infrared, with hydrogen visible in red, oxygen in green and blue, and nitrogen in deep red. A camera mounted to a Planewave CDK24 telescope made this image possible.

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The artistic rendering shows the center of the galaxy Markarian 501, from which two powerful jets emanate. The supermassive black hole at the centre, whose existence was already known, partially bends the light from the jet behind it into a so-called Einstein ring.

Unprecedented Observation Reveals 2 Supermassive Black Holes Locked in a Tight Death Spiral

New research describes an unexpected double jet in a distant galaxy, revealing a pair of supermassive black holes on the verge of colliding.

Space & Spaceflight Passant Rabie Apr 7

Asteroid Ryugu Contains All 5 DNA and RNA Building Blocks, Study Shows

A new study adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests asteroid impacts played a critical role in the emergence of life on our planet.

Space & Spaceflight Ellyn Lapointe Mar 16

$A bright, greenish coma and a tail are shown in this three-minute exposure taken using a 6″ Takahashi refractor located in New Mexico. At the time of this image, comet Lovejoy was 40 million miles from Earth and 88 million miles from the sun.$

The Rose

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