Skip to main contentSkip to main content

You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close

JournalStar.com

60°

Read Today's E-edition

Site Search

© 2026 Lee Enterprises

Terms of Service | Privacy Policy

Site Search

JournalStar.com

News+

Where your story lives

Site Search

A Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group.

Subscribe

Read Today's E-edition

JournalStar.com

News+

Where your story lives

Subscribe

Share This

customer support chat

Dark skies, dangling questions greet hundreds at 30th annual Nebraska Star Party

customer support chat Live chat

0 Comments

Share this

A Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group.

Just In

Lincoln teen killed in O Street crash identified

Dark skies, dangling questions greet hundreds at 30th annual Nebraska Star Party

Alert Top Story Topical

Dark skies, dangling questions greet hundreds at 30th annual Nebraska Star Party

Prefer us on Google Learn More

Above the glassy waters of Merritt Reservoir, the Milky Way spills from horizon to horizon.

Sonali Deshmukh, COURTESY PHOTO

kAm|t##x%% #t$t#'~x# — {2DE $6AE6>36C[ E96 x?E6C?2E:@?2= s2C<\$<J pDD@4:2E:@? 4@?7:C>65 H92E G6E6C2?D @7 E96 }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ 92G6 <?@H? 7@C b_ J62CDi ~? 2 4=62C ?:89E[ E96 $2?59:==D 3@2DE D@>6 @7 E96 52C<6DE D<:6D @? t2CE9]k^Am

kAm%92?<D E@ 2 ;@:?E 677@CE 36EH66? EH@ }63C2D<2 DE2E6 286?4:6D[ E96 fah\24C6 |6CC:EE #6D6CG@:C $E2E6 #64C62E:@? pC62 — DA:==:?8 =:<6 2 3C@<6? G6DD6= 24C@DD E96 962CE @7 r96CCJ r@F?EJ — :D ?@H E96 7:CDE 46CE:7:65 x?E6C?2E:@?2= s2C< $<J !2C< :? E96 DE2E6]k^Am

kAm“%96 |:=<J (2J :D D@ 3C:89E 96C6 :E 42DED D925@HD @? E96 8C@F?5P” D2:5 qC6?52 rF=36CED@?[ 2 D@=2C DJDE6> 2>32DD25@C H:E9 }p$p’D y6E !C@AF=D:@? {23@C2E@CJ[ 2E =2DE >@?E9’D b_E9 2??F2= }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ] w6C 9FD32?5 |:<6[ 2 72C>6C 2?5 >6492?:42= 6?8:?66C[ E:?<6C65 H:E9 9:D E6=6D4@A6 36D:56 96C] “w6C6 E96 DE2CD 2C6 :? J@FC 7246[ ?@E FA :? E96 D<J] xE 766=D =:<6 J@FVC6 @? 2 5:776C6?E A=2?6E]”k^Am

People are also reading…

kAm%96 x?E6C?2E:@?2= s2C<\$<J pDD@4:2E:@? 42==65 |6CC:EE’D 46CE:7:42E:@? “2 >2;@C 7:CDE DE6A :? 4@?D6CG:?8 }63C2D<2’D ?:89ED42A6” 2?5 “2? @AA@CEF?:EJ E@ 9:89=:89E :E 2D 2? 2DEC@E@FC:D> 56DE:?2E:@?]” p?5 ;F58:?8 3J E9:D J62C’D }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ EFC?@FE — E96 E9:C5 9:896DE @? C64@C5[ H:E9 bga C68:DE6C65 DE2C82K6CD — E96 C6DF=ED >2J 2=C625J 36 DA62<:?8 7@C E96>D6=G6D]k^Am

kAms6DA:E6 E9F?56CDE@C>D[ D@2C:?8 E6>A6C2EFC6D 2?5 92K6 7C@> r2?25:2? H:=57:C6D[ G69:4=6D 7C@> }63C2D<2 E@ }6H *@C< 2?5 |:49:82? E@ |2DD249FD6EED D<:CE65 E96 A2C<’D H62E96C\4C24<65 C@25D 2== H66<[ H2:E:?8 7@C E92E @?6 4=62C ?:89E 36?62E9 E96 DE2CD]k^Am

Astrophotographer Kumar Challa from St. Louis shows some of his work to a budding astronomer on the final night of the Nebraska Star Party. 

Carson Vaughan, Flatwater Free Press

kAm“%9:D :D 2>2K:?8P” D2:5 s2G6 z?:D6=J[ }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ 3@2C5 >6>36C 2?5 7:6=5 D49@@= 4@@C5:?2E@C] “xV> =@@<:?8 2E 2 82=2IJ — 2 9F86 82=2IJ — 7C@> @?6 6?5 E@ E96 @E96C[ C:89E ?@H[ H:E9 ;FDE E96 ?2<65 6J6]”k^Am

kAmq6?62E9 E96 6I4:E6>6?E @7 C:?8 ?63F=2D 2?5 8=@3F=2C 4=FDE6CD[ 9@H6G6C[ H9:DA6CD 4:C4F=2E65 E9C@F89@FE E96 6G6?E E92E >6C6 3FC62F4C24J AC6G6?E65 |6CC:EE #6D6CG@:C 2?5 E96 DFCC@F?5:?8 H:=5=:76 >2?286>6?E 2C62[ 3@E9 >2?2865 3J E96 }63C2D<2 v2>6 2?5 !2C<D r@>>:DD:@?[ 7C@> 249:6G:?8 E96 9:896DE 4=2DD:7:42E:@?i ?@E E92E @7 2 “s2C< $<J !2C<[” 3FE 2 7F==\7=65865 “s2C< $<J $2?4EF2CJ]”k^Am

kAm%9@F89 C6=F4E2?E E@ 4@>>6?E @? H92E D96 42==65 “=@42= A@=:E:4D[” 7@C>6C 2DD@4:2E:@? 5:C64E@C @7 4@?D6CG2E:@? pD9=6J (:=D@? 28C665]k^Am

kAm“uC@> >J A@:?E @7 G:6H[ xsp H@F=5 92G6 62D:=J 2446AE65 E92E D:E6 2D 2 D2?4EF2CJ[” D96 D2:5] “qFE :E 2AA62C65 E92E E96 A6@A=6 :? 492C86 @7 E96 H:=5=:76 >2?286>6?E 2C62 H6C6 ;FDE 5@?6] %96J ;FDE H2?E65 E@ @3D6CG6 7C@> E96 @FED:56[ 2?5 ?@E C62==J 36 A2CE @7 E96 2AA=:42E:@? AC@46DD]”k^Am

kAmw25 E96 g[h__\24C6 H:=5=:76 >2?286>6?E 2C62 49@D6? E@ A2CE:4:A2E6[ E96 =2C86C |6CC:EE 2C62 H@F=5 92G6 ;@:?65 76H6C E92? a_ @E96C 46CE:7:65 52C<\D<J D2?4EF2C:6D :? E96 H@C=5]k^Am

kA DEJ=6lQE6IE\2=:8?i 46?E6CjQmYYYk^Am

kAm$2?59:==D ?2E:G6D 92G6 =@?8 496C:D965 E96 4=2C:EJ @7 E96:C ?:89E D<:6D] qFE E96 DF446DD @7 E96 }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ @G6C E9C66 564256D 92D 4@?7:C>65 ;FDE 9@H C2C6 E92E 46=6DE:2= E962E6C 92D 364@>6 :? E96 a`DE 46?EFCJ[ 2D 2CE:7:4:2= =:89E A@==FE:@? 4@?E:?F6D E@ 5C2H E96 4FCE2:?]k^Am

With tents, trailers and telescopes of all kinds, amateur astronomers staked their claim in the "observing field" at Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area's Snake River campground. 

Carson Vaughan, Flatwater Free Press

kAm%@52J[ E96 |:=<J (2J :ED6=7 — :?DA:C:?8 9F>2?<:?5 D:?46 E96 3:CE9 @7 @FC DA64:6D — :D ?@ =@?86C G:D:3=6 E@ C@F89=J @?6\E9:C5 @7 E96 A=2?6E[ C6D62C49 D9@HD[ :?4=F5:?8 g_T @7 p>6C:42?D] x? 724E[ 36EH66? a_``\a_aa[ t2CE9’D 2G6C286 ?:89E D<J 92D 8C@H? 3C:89E6C 3J h]eT 6249 J62C]k^Am

kAm“}@3@5J 92D H@CD6 D<:6D E92? x 5@[” D2:5 s2? w:88:?D[ AC6D:56?E 2?5 7@F?56C @7 pDEC@(@C=5 %'[ 2 *@F%F36 492??6= 56G@E65 E@ 2DEC@A9@E@8C2A9J] w6 EC2G6=65 E@ E9:D J62C’D }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ 7C@> 9:D 9@>6 @? {@?8 xD=2?5] “x7 J@F E2<6 2 =@@< 2E E96 =:89E A@==FE:@? >2A 7@C }6H *@C<[ :E’D AFC6 H9:E6] %96C6’D ?@ 4@>A2C:D@? 96C6] %96D6 2C6 E96 52C<6DE D<:6D x’G6 6G6C D66?]”k^Am

kAmp44@C5:?8 E@ }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ @77:4:2=D[ E96 D<:6D @G6C |6CC:EE 2C6 2 “ECF6” r=2DD ` @? E96 q@CE=6 D42=6[ 2 C2?<:?8 DJDE6> 25@AE65 3J 2>2E6FC 2DEC@?@>6CD E@ 2DD6DD 2 8:G6? =@42E:@?’D DE2C82K:?8 A@E6?E:2=] ~E96C q@CE=6 r=2DD ` D:E6D :?4=F56 q:8 q6?5 }2E:@?2= !2C< :? %6I2D[ s6?2=: }2E:@?2= !2C< :? p=2D<2 2?5 >@C6]k^Am

kAm}63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ 7@F?56C %@> |:==6C 4@F=5?’E BF2?E:7J :E H96? 96 7:CDE :?G:E65 7C:6?5D 2?5 72>:=J E@ |6CC:EE :? E96 DF>>6C @7 `hhb[ DE:== “E6DE:?8 E96 H2E6CD” 7@C 2 DE2C A2CEJ[ 96 D2:5] qFE 96 4@F=5 D6?D6 E96 A@E6?E:2= C:89E 2H2J]k^Am

kAm“xE H2D 4=@F5J H96? H6 7:CDE 8@E 96C6] (6 AF==65 FA E@ E96 $?2<6 #:G6C 42>A8C@F?5 2?5 8@E @FE[ 2?5 :E H2D D@ 52C< J@F 4@F=5?VE D66 J@FC 92?5D :? 7C@?E @7 J@FC 7246]” (96? E96 4=@F5D 7:?2==J =:7E65[ 96 <?6H 2=C625J[ E96 DE2CD H@F=5 6IA=@56]k^Am

kAm$:AA:?8 2 4@=5 {6:?6?<F86=’D[ |:==6C ?2CC2E65 E96 q:8 q2?8 @7 E96 }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ 7C@> 2 =2H? 492:C @? “s@3 #@H[” 2 D>2== 4F=\56\D24 :? E96 @3D6CG2E:@? 7:6=5 H96C6 2EE6?566D 92G6 =@?8 82E96C65 H:E9 E96:C 42?@?\D:K65 “s@3D@?:2?” C67=64E:?8 E6=6D4@A6D[ @AE:>:K65 7@C “566A\D<J” @3D6CG2E:@?]k^Am

kAm“xE’D 9:D 72F=EP tG6CJE9:?8 96C6 :D 9:D 72F=EP” J6==65 9:D 7C:6?5 sC282? }:<:?[ A@AA:?8 @FE 7C@> 2 EC2:=6C 96 AFC492D65 E@ 92F= 9:D e__\A@F?5[ ``\7@@E E6=6D4@A6] “%92E’D H9J x’> 3C@<6]”k^Am

kAm“%96J 3=2>6 >6 7@C E96:C 2A6CEFC6 76G6C[” |:==6C D2:5]k^Am

Elephant's Trunk Nebula reaches out into the night sky. 

Kumar Challa, COURTESY PHOTO

kAmq@C? 2?5 C2:D65 :? {:?4@=?[ |:==6C DE2CE65 H@C<:?8 7@C 9:D 72>:=J’D D665 3FD:?6DD 7C6D9 @FE @7 9:89 D49@@= :? `hfd[ @G6CD66:?8 2 A=2?E :? w6C67@C5[ %6I2D] w6 >2CC:65 2?5 DE2CE65 2 72>:=J[ 2== H9:=6 9:D 8C:?5 2E |:==6C $665 r@>A2?J D9:7E65 :?E@ 9:896C 862C] ~? E96 G6C86 @7 3FC?@FE :? E96 62C=J ‘g_D[ 96 3F:=E 2 D>2== @3D6CG2E@CJ :? 9:D 324<J2C5 2?5 4CF:D65 E96 4@D>@D] xE H2D D@>6E9:?8 E@ FE:=:K6 E96 @?=J 7C66 9@FCD 96 4@F=5 7:?5j D@>6E9:?8 E@ D9:7E 9:D A6CDA64E:G6]k^Am

kAm“*@F ;FDE C62=:K6 9@H D>2== J@F 2C6] *@F 86E @FE 96C6[ 2?5 J@F D66 E96 |:=<J (2J[ 9@H :E CF?D 7C@> 9@C:K@? E@ 9@C:K@?] (6’C6 A2CE @7 ;FDE @?6 82=2IJ[ 2?5 E96C6 2C6 3:==:@?D @7 82=2I:6D :? E9:D F?:G6CD6[” 96 D2:5[ D92<:?8 9:D 9625 :? 5:D36=:67] “(@H[ J@F <?@Hn”k^Am

kAm$@@? 96 ;@:?65 E96 2DEC@?@>J 4=F3 :? ?62C3J p>2C:==@] w6 H6?E E@ E96 %6I2D $E2C !2CEJ ?62C u@CE s2G:D] xE H2D A:E49 3=24<[ 96 D2:5[ F?E:= E96 4=@F5D =:7E65 2?5 E96 DE2CD 6IA=@565] w6 H6?E E96 ?6IE J62C[ E@@] p?5 282:? 27E6C E92E — D:I J62CD DEC2:89E] (96? 96 >@G65 324< E@ {:?4@=? :? `hh`[ 96 ;@:?65 E96 !C2:C:6 pDEC@?@>J r=F3 2?5 4@?G:?465 7@FC @E96C >6>36CD E@ 8@ 324< E@ u@CE s2G:D H:E9 9:>]k^Am

Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts

kAm(96? E96J =67E E96 56D6CE[ E96J DE2CE65 3C2:?DE@C>:?8 H92E 2 DE2C A2CEJ >:89E =@@< =:<6 324< 9@>6] |:==6C <6AE C6D62C49:?8] %96 4=F3 <6AE 5632E:?8] p?5 :? E96 DF>>6C @7 `hhb[ 3J :?G:E6 @?=J[ E96J D@7E =2F?4965 E96:C G6CJ @H? }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ 2E |6CC:EE #6D6CG@:C $E2E6 #64C62E:@? pC62[ H96C6 E96 =:89E\A@==FE:@? >2AD 7256 E@ 3=24<j H96C6 E96 =2<6 AC@G:56D 52JE:>6 C64C62E:@? 7@C E96 72>:=:6D :? E@Hj H96C6 E96 42>A8C@F?5D AC@G:56 4962A[ :7 D:>A=6 244@>>@52E:@?Dj 2?5 H96C6 — @? 2 J62C D@ H6E 2D E9:D — E96 9:==D G:CEF2==J 9F> H:E9 H:=57=@H6CD]k^Am

kAm“x E6== A6@A=6 }63C2D<2 E2<6D 2?5 :E 8:G6D[” D2:5 z6? !=64<:[ H9@ E@H65 9:D ag\7@@E EC2G6= EC2:=6C 7C@> (:==@H $AC:?8D[ x==:?@:D[ E@ E9:D J62C’D 6G6?E] w6 7:CDE 2EE6?565 :? a__d[ 2?5 ?@ D@@?6C 925 96 F?A24<65 9:D E6?E E92? 2 E9F?56CDE@C> 3=6H :E 2H2J] w6 D=6AE E96 ?6IE EH@ ?:89ED :? 9:D 42C[ 3FE E96 D<:6D H6C6 E96 36DE 96’5 6G6C D66?]k^Am

kAm“x 925 2 D4@A6] x 5:5?VE 6G6? =@@< E9C@F89 :E] x ;FDE D2E 96C6 2?5 =@@<65 2E E96 D<J 3642FD6 E96 46?E6C @7 E96 |:=<J (2J H2D 42DE:?8 2 D925@H[” 96 D2:5[ BF:6E6C ?@H[ 2D :7 :E H6C6 92AA6?:?8 2== @G6C 282:?] “pE E92E >@>6?E[ x <:?5 @7 76=E =:<6 x H2D?VE =@@<:?8 2E E96 82=2IJ 2?J>@C6] x H2D 2 A2CE @7 :E]”k^Am

kA DEJ=6lQE6IE\2=:8?i 46?E6CjQmYYYk^Am

kAm%96 }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ 925 =@?8 366? 5:D4FDD:?8 E96 A@E6?E:2= 7@C 52C<\D<J 46CE:7:42E:@? 2E |6CC:EE] qFE “E96 DA2C< A=F8 E92E 7:?2==J <:4<65 E9:?8D :?E@ 9:89 862C[” D2:5 AF3=:4 @FEC6249 4@@C5:?2E@C y@9? y@9?D@?[ H2D E96 }63C2D<2 %@FC:D> r@>>:DD:@?’D ?6H 25G6?EFC6 EC2G6= DA64:2=:DE]k^Am

kAm~C:8:?2==J 7C@> v6@C8:2[ y6??2 q2CE;2 925 ;FDE DA6?E E96 A2DE 7:G6 J62CD H@C<:?8 2E vC2?5 r2?J@? }2E:@?2= !2C<[ E96? AFCDF:?8 :ED @H? 244C65:E2E:@? 7C@> E96 x?E6C?2E:@?2= s2C<\$<J pDD@4:2E:@? W?@H s2C<$<J x?E6C?2E:@?2=X[ 2 C64@8?:K65 2FE9@C:EJ @? =:89E A@==FE:@?]k^Am

kAm(96? q2CE;2 2CC:G65 :? }63C2D<2 :? E96 72== @7 a_`g[ D96 D2:5[ “x 2=C625J 925 E9:D D6?D6 @7 52C< D<:6D 2D 2 ?2EFC2= C6D@FC46 H@CE9 AC@E64E:?8[ 2?5 E96 A@E6?E:2= 7@C :E E@ 2EEC24E >@C6 E@FC:D>]”k^Am

kAm$96 9@?65 :? 7:CDE @? E96 DA2CD6=J A@AF=2E65 $2?59:==D[ 2?5 E96?[ H:E9 E96 6?E9FD:2DE:4 DFAA@CE @7 E96 }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ — E96 |6CC:EE 2C62 :? A2CE:4F=2Ci %96 fah\24C6 DE2E6 C64C62E:@? 2C62[ 2?5 E96 C@F89=J g[h__ 24C6D @7 H:=5=:76 >2?286>6?E 2C62 DFCC@F?5:?8 :E]k^Am

Nebraska Star Party coordinator Eric Balcom greets visitors to the 30th anniversary event. 

Carson Vaughan, Flatwater Free Press

kAmq2CE;2 2AAC@24965 E96 }63C2D<2 v2>6 2?5 !2C<D r@>>:DD:@? 2 J62C =2E6C[ 56=:G6C:?8 96C 4@>A:=65 52C<\D<J C625:?8D[ H9:49 72C 6I466565 E96 4C:E6C:2 7@C 2? x?E6C?2E:@?2= s2C< $<J !2C<] $96 2=D@ 56=:G6C65 2 7F== :?G6?E@CJ @7 E96 =:89ED E92E H@F=5 ?665 C6A=2465 @C C6EC@7:EE65 E@ >66E x?E6C?2E:@?2= s2C<\$<J pDD@4:2E:@? C6BF:C6>6?ED]k^Am

kAm“(6 H6C6?VE C62==J 72>:=:2C H:E9 E96 AC@8C2>[ D@ :E E@@< D@>6 E:>6 E@ F?56CDE2?5 E96 4@>>:E>6?E E96C6[” D2:5 q@3 w2?@G6C[ v2>6 2?5 !2C<D’ 2DD:DE2?E A2C<D 5:G:D:@? 25>:?:DEC2E@C] qFE E96 4@>>:DD:@? D@@? 28C665 E@ 368:? E96 AC@46DD[ :>AC6DD65 3J H92E 96 42==65 “=2J6CD @7 G2=F6” :? AC6D6CG:?8 |6CC:EE’D ?:89E D<:6D]k^Am

kAm“pDEC@E@FC:D> :D D@>6E9:?8 E92E H6 <?@H 2 =@E @7 A6@A=6 2C6 :?E6C6DE65 :?[” 96 D2:5] “qFE E96 @E96C D:56 :D E92E H6 <?@H AC6D6CG:?8 52C< D<:6D 92D 2 G2=F6 E@ E96 6?G:C@?>6?E[ E@ H:=5=:76[ 6G6? E@ C64C62E:@?2= 24E:G:E:6D]”k^Am

kAmp7E6C q2CE;2 DF3>:EE65 E96 @77:4:2= x?E6C?2E:@?2= s2C< $<J !2C< 2AA=:42E:@? :? DAC:?8 a_a`[ 9@H6G6C[ E96 42>A2:8? 3682? E@ H@33=6]k^Am

kAmr:E:?8 6I46AE:@?2= ?:89E D<J BF2=:EJ 2?5 2 9:DE@C:4 562CE9 @7 AF3=:4 AC@8C2>>:?8 2E |6CC:EE[ E96 x?E6C?2E:@?2= s2C<\$<J pDD@4:2E:@? DF886DE65 E96J 2AA=J 7@C D2?4EF2CJ DE2EFD[ :?DE625[ 56?@E:?8 2 >@C6 C6>@E6[ 92?5D\@77 6IA6C:6?46 2?5 6G6? 52C<6C D<:6D] $9@CE=J 27E6C 5@:?8 D@[ 9@H6G6C[ E96 2DD@4:2E:@?’D ?6H AC@8C2> >2?286C 6IA@D65 2 7F?52>6?E2= >:DF?56CDE2?5:?8 36EH66? E96 DF3>:EE:?8 A2CE:6D]k^Am

kAm&?=:<6 q2CE;2[ E96 4@>>:DD:@? 925 ?6G6C 4@?D:56C65 E96 DFCC@F?5:?8 H:=5=:76 >2?286>6?E 2C62 A2CE @7 E96 2AA=:42E:@?]k^Am

kAmq2CC:?8 :ED :?4=FD:@?[ E96 2DD@4:2E:@? C64@>>6?565 E96J C6G6CE 324< E@ E96:C @C:8:?2= 2AA=:42E:@? 7@C 2 A2C<] %96 4@>>:DD:@? 28C665[ E9@F89 H9J 6I24E=J :E 49@D6 E@ @>:E E96 =2C86C 2C62 C6>2:?D F?4=62C]k^Am

kAm“xE H@F=5?VE 92G6 :>A24E65 2?JE9:?8[” q2CE;2 D2:5[ 255:?8 E92E E96 |6CC:EE #6D6CG@:C (:=5=:76 |2?286>6?E pC62 4FCC6?E=J 92D ?@ =:89ED] “qFE x <:?5 @7 F?56CDE@@5 E96C6 H2D D@>6E9:?8 6=D6 8@:?8 @? 96C6 E92E E96JVC6 ?@E D92C:?8 H:E9 >6]”k^Am

kAms6AFEJ 5:C64E@C y:> $H6?D@? 5:D>:DD65 E96 ?@E:@?[ 4=2:>:?8 :E H2D >@C6 2 >2EE6C @7 4C@H5 4@?EC@=] v:G6? E96 F?46CE2:?E:6D @7 2 ?6H 52C<\D<J 56D:8?2E:@?[ 96 D2:5[ E96 4@>>:DD:@? 9@A65 E@ 4@?7:?6 2?J ?6H :?7=FI @7 G:D:E@CD E@ 2? 2C62 >@C6 62D:=J D6CG:465[ 2?5 E@ D2768F2C5 E96 =2C86C 923:E2E 2C62 “7@C 9F?E6CD[ 2?8=6CD[ 3:C5 H2E496CD[ D@ @? 2?5 D@ 7@CE9]”k^Am

kAmw6 4=2C:7:65[ 9@H6G6C[ E92E DE2C82K:?8 2?5 @E96C 24E:G:E:6D =:<6 42>A:?8[ E9@F89 “?@E ?646DD2C:=J AC@>@E65” :? H:=5=:76 >2?286>6?E 2C62D[ 2C6?’E E649?:42==J AC@9:3:E65[ 6:E96C]k^Am

kAm%96 x?E6C?2E:@?2= s2C<\$<J pDD@4:2E:@? F=E:>2E6=J 564=2C65 E96 C64C62E:@? 2C62 2E |6CC:EE #6D6CG@:C 2? x?E6C?2E:@?2= s2C< $<J !2C< =2DE $6AE6>36C[ E96 7:CDE :? }63C2D<2[ 2?5 E96 a__E9 xsp D:E6 H@C=5H:56] %9@F89 92AAJ E@ 46=63C2E6 E96 H:?[ q2CE;2 2?5 y@9?D@? D2:5 E96J 92G6?’E J6E 232?5@?65 9@A6 7@C @?6 52J 249:6G:?8 D2?4EF2CJ DE2EFD]k^Am

kAm“%96 ECF6 496CCJ @? E@A H@F=5 92G6 366? E96 @AA@CEF?:EJ E@ D2J ?@E @?=J :D :E E96 7:CDE :? }63C2D<2[ 3FE :EVD @7 E96 9:896DE E:6C E92E E9:D @C82?:K2E:@? @776CD — @?6 @7 @?=J `d :? E96 H@C=5[” q2CE;2 D2:5] “%92E :D 2 G6CJ 6=:E6 4:C4=6]”k^Am

kA DEJ=6lQE6IE\2=:8?i 46?E6CjQmYYYk^Am

kAm%96 }63C2D<2 $E2C !2CEJ’D b_E9 2??:G6CD2CJ DE2CE65 ?@E H:E9 2 32?8[ 3FE 2 H9:DA6C] {:<6 D2?4EF2CJ DE2EFD :ED6=7[ E96 DE2CD A62<65 3C:67=J E9C@F89 E96 4=@F5D 367@C6 G2?:D9:?8 :? E96 DE@C>] }:89E 27E6C ?:89E[ >@C6 @7 E96 D2>6] p 76H DE2CD] |@C6 4=@F5D] p?@E96C DE@C>]k^Am

kAmp?5 E96?[ ;FDE 2D E96 r96CCJ r@F?EJ =@42=D 3682? EC:4<=:?8 :? 7@C E96 AF3=:4 G:6H:?8 @? uC:52J ?:89E[ E96 92K6 =:7E65[ E96 4=@F5D 5C:7E65 2?5 E96 D@\42==65 vC62E #:7E[ G:D:3=6 E@ E96 ?2<65 6J6[ 4=62G65 E96 |:=<J (2J :? EH@] |6E6@CD 3=2K65 E9C@F89 4CJDE2==:?6 4@?DE6==2E:@?D] '6E6C2?D =@33:65 2>2E6FCD E@ A66C E9C@F89 C67=64E:?8 E6=6D4@A6D 3:8 6?@F89 E@ DH2==@H 2 <2J2<] p?5 >2?J D:>A=J 4C2?65 E96:C ?64<D E@ E96 D<J]k^Am

kAm“x 5@?VE 92G6 E@ FD6 2 E6=6D4@A6[” D2:5 z?:D6=J[ E96 DE2C A2CEJ 3@2C5 >6>36C[ “2?5 E92E 2=@?6 :D 6?@F89 E@ 86E J@F @FE 96C6]”k^Am

kAmkDA2? 4=2DDlQAC:?E0EC:>Qmk6>m%96 u=2EH2E6C uC66 !C6DD :D }63C2D<2’D 7:CDE :?56A6?56?E[ ?@?AC@7:E ?6HDC@@> 7@4FD65 @? :?G6DE:82E:@?D 2?5 762EFC6 DE@C:6D E92E >2EE6C]k^6>mk^DA2?mk^Am

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the famous Pillars of Creation, found in the Eagle Nebula, located 6,500 light-years away.

50 images of the universe from the Hubble Space Telescope

50 images of the universe from the Hubble Space Telescope

On April 24, 1990, the Space Shuttle Discovery launched, carrying the Hubble Space Telescope (HST, or just "Hubble"). This orbiting telescope was the first of NASA's Great Observatories. For more than 30 years, HST has provided astronomers with incredible scientific data on everything from solar system objects to some of the most distant galaxies in the cosmos. Hubble was named for American astronomer Edwin Hubble, who in the early 20th century helped establish that the universe is much bigger than the Milky Way and showed the cosmos is expanding.

Stacker collected 50 Hubble images, taken between 1990 and 2020, that express both the beauty of the universe and important scientific knowledge. HST is a bus-sized satellite containing a 2.4-meter-diameter mirror for focusing light from distant objects, along with a suite of instruments for photography, measuring light intensity, and taking the spectrum of various astronomical sources. Hubble is primarily an optical telescope, viewing the cosmos in the same type of light we can see, and it also has the ability to see into the infrared and ultraviolet parts of the spectrum of light. The size of the telescope and its location above Earth's atmosphere (with its pesky weather and distortions from air currents) make HST one of the best optical telescopes still in operation.

HST is jointly operated by NASA and the European Space Agency and was designed to be serviced by astronauts. Unfortunately, the Hubble needed to be repaired immediately after launch, when it turned out its mirror was slightly flawed. NASA astronauts installed additional mirrors to compensate for the flaws in 1993 and upgraded other scientific instruments on five different occasions, with the last upgrade being in 2009. Meanwhile, no plans are in the works to build an equivalent space telescope, so astronomers and nonscientists alike hope Hubble will continue to work indefinitely.

Click on for 50 images of the universe as seen from the Hubble Space Telescope.

You may also like: Space discoveries that will blow your mind

NASA, Hubble Heritage Team

The Pillars of Creation (1995)

Perhaps Hubble's most popular image involves part of the Eagle Nebula known as the "Pillars of Creation." The Eagle Nebula is a star-forming region of the Milky Way, which means a cold cloud of gas and dust dense enough for gravity to take hold and collapse material into new stars. Ultraviolet light from these newborn stars erodes the nebula away, leaving the beautifully sculpted pillars in the image.

NASA, J. Hester, P. Scowen (Arizona State University)

The Eagle Nebula in Infrared (2015)

The dense gas and dust of the Eagle Nebula are opaque in visible light but transparent to infrared. Hubble's infrared vision of the Pillars of Creation reveals they are harboring additional baby stars swaddled in gas.

NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team

Prelude to a Cosmic Explosion (1995)

In the early 1800s, the unremarkable star Eta Carinae in the southern constellation Carina grew suddenly brighter, briefly becoming the second-brightest star in the entire sky before fading. Later observations, including the one that produced this famous Hubble image, showed that Eta Carinae is actually two very massive stars shedding matter in two huge lobes of gas. Astronomers think these stars are unstable and will eventually explode in a supernova.

NASA, Jon Morse (University of Colorado)

The Giant Next Door (2015)

Andromeda Galaxy (also known as M31) is the closest large galaxy to our Milky Way, near enough for astronomers to distinguish individual stars. This Hubble mosaic of a portion of Andromeda is the biggest image the telescope has made (constructed of 7,398 individual exposures!), containing over 100 million visible stars. Like the Milky Way, M31 is a spiral galaxy, with many of its brightest stars clustered in arms winding out from the galactic center.

NASA, ESA, University of Washington, PHAT team

The King of Planets (2017)

While much of Hubble's greatest work involves distant stars and galaxies, the observatory has also provided a wealth of information about our solar system. This 2017 image of Jupiter is part of an HST program to chart changes in the atmospheres of the giant outer planets. In particular, astronomers are watching the way Jupiter's famous Great Red Spot (known since the time of Galileo) is shrinking.

You may also like: The best streaming services in 2021

NASA, ESA, A Simon (GSFC)

Jupiter's Auroras (2016)

Auroras are caused when electrically charged particles cascade into a planet's atmosphere. On Earth, these are the northern and southern lights visible at high latitudes; Jupiter, being a much bigger planet with a huge magnetic field, has proportionally larger auroras. Hubble captured Jupiter's auroras using its ultraviolet instrument, and this picture was constructed by overlaying the UV image over a visible-light photo.

NASA, ESA, J. Nichols (University of Leicester)

Galaxies in Collision (2010)

The Antennae Galaxies are a pair of galaxies in the process of colliding, a slow process taking hundreds of millions of years. This picture combines images from NASA's Great Observatories—Hubble (visible light), the Spitzer Infrared Observatory (infrared), and the Chandra X-ray Observatory (X-rays)—highlighting how these premiere space telescopes work together. The collision between the galaxies is producing new stars at a fast rate.

NASA, CXC/SAO/J. DePasquale

It's Full of Galaxies (1996)

In 1996, astronomers pointed HST at a small unremarkable spot on the sky nearly empty of stars and took pictures for 10 days to get a clear view deep into the cosmos. The 342 photos assembled from the project make up the Hubble Deep Field Survey and contain roughly 3,000 individual galaxies, some billions of light-years away. In fact, nearly everything you see in this image is a galaxy, revealing the diversity and evolution of galaxies over the history of the universe.

NASA, ESA, Robert Williams, Hubble Deep Field Team (STScI)

Echoes from an Explosion (2010)

In early 1987, astronomers spotted a new bright point of light in the nearby galaxy in the Large Magellanic Cloud: Supernova 1987A, the explosion of a massive star. Because it is the closest supernova in modern times, astronomers have been able to track the aftereffects of the explosion. This 2010 Hubble image shows expanding bubbles of matter blasted away from the dying star, producing beads of light where the material slammed into clumps of gas in the surrounding region.

NASA, ESA, K. France (University of Colordo, Boulder)

The First Image of Another Star (1996)

Despite the power of modern telescopes like HST, most stars other than the sun are too far away to be anything but points of light. However, Hubble captured the first details on another star in 1996: the red giant Betelgeuse, which is part of the constellation Orion. As the diagram shows, Betelgeuse is so huge it's no longer spherical; in 2020, material ejected from the star blocked enough of its light that it dimmed visibly.

You may also like: History of famous firsts in space

NASA, ESA, Andrea Dupree (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), Ronald Gilliland (STScI)

Seeing With Gravity's Telescope (2018)

Galaxy clusters are the largest objects in the universe held together by gravity and can consist of thousands of individual galaxies. Abel 370 has so much mass (mostly in the form of mysterious invisible dark matter) that its gravity focuses light from more distant galaxies, producing magnified and distorted images of objects too far to be seen ordinarily. You can see some of those magnified galaxies in this HST image, appearing as smeared arcs of light.

NASA, ESA, A. Koekemoer (STScI)

Five Moons for Tiny Pluto (2012)

Before the New Horizons probe arrived on Pluto in 2015, astronomers turned HST to the dwarf planet to look for any potential hazards. This 2012 image shows Pluto's five moons, including a fifth previously unknown moon, now known as Styx. Hubble was also used to discover the moons Nix, Hydra, and Kerberos, which are too small to be seen with less powerful telescopes.

NASA, ESA, M. Showalter (SETI Institute)

A Dying Star and an Hourglass (1996)

Smaller stars like our sun don't explode as supernovas but shed material as they die. Some of these form "planetary nebulas" like the Hourglass Nebula, which forms two interlinked bubbles of gas. The eerie effect here is because Hubble doesn't "see" color the way people do, so the image colors (and many other images in this slideshow) correspond to the presence of particular types of atoms or molecules: green for hydrogen, red for nitrogen, and blue for ionized oxygen.

NASA, Raghvendra Sahai and John Trauger (JPL), WFPC2 science team

The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared (2013)

The Horsehead Nebula in the constellation of Orion is one of the most popular objects to look at through backyard telescopes, where it looks like a horse-shaped shadow against background stars. This HST infrared image shows newborn stars hiding inside the billowing nebula gas. Like the Eagle Nebula, the Horsehead is being eroded by ultraviolet light from nearby young, hot stars.

NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team

A Jet from a Black Hole (2010)

M87 is a giant elliptical galaxy (meaning: it has mostly old stars and no spiral arms) in the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. Like nearly every galaxy we know of, M87 harbors a huge black hole near its center, which was imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope in 2019. This set of HST pictures shows a jet of matter blasted out by that black hole, stretching out farther than the visible edges of M87.

You may also like: The best streaming services for sports in 2021

NASA, ESA, D. Batcheldor and E. Perlman (Florida Institute of Technology), Hubble Heritage Team

The Colorful Crab (2020)

The Crab Nebula is the remains of a star that went supernova and which was observed across the world in 1054 C.E. This image combines optical light from Hubble (in yellow), infrared light from Spitzer (in red), and X-ray light from Chandra (in blue), revealing the complex internal structure of this centuries-old supernova remnant. Matter continues to collide inside the nebula even after all this time, explaining the tendrils and bubbles you see in the picture.

NASA, ESA, J. DePasquale (STScI), R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC)

A Flickering Cosmic Candle (2013)

RS Puppis is a star known as a Cepheid variable: aging stars that pulsate, with predictable fluctuations in their light. This southern hemisphere star pulsates roughly every six weeks, creating "light echoes" in the surrounding gas. Early 20th-century astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt discovered that Cepheid variables have a connection between the frequency of fluctuations and their brightness, which allowed Edwin Hubble to make the first measurement of the distance to Andromeda Galaxy.

NASA: ESA, Hubble Heritage Team

Saturn's Rings and Hexagon (2019)

As part of the giant planet monitoring program, HST captured this beautiful image of Saturn. Not only are the planet's famous rings shown clearly, but you can also see the hexagonal storm at Saturn's north pole, a feature not identified before the Cassini spacecraft mission.

NASA, ESA, A. Simon, M.H. Wong, OPAL Team

Northern and Southern Lights, Saturn Style (2010)

Earth's seasons are caused by the fact that our axis is tilted, so the north pole points toward the sun in the summer and away in winter. Saturn has an even stronger axial tilt, but Hubble captured this ultraviolet image near the planet's equinox so that both poles were nearly in view at once. That allows us to see the auroras—northern and southern lights—in a single image, a rare occurrence.

NASA, ESA, Jonathan Nichols (University of Leicester)

A Supernova in the Galactic Outskirts (1999)

The bright star-light object toward the lower-left corner of this image is Supernova 1994D, on the outskirts of the galaxy NGC 4526. It's a Type Ia supernova, which is the explosion of a white dwarf (the remnant of the core of a star like our sun). Astronomers use Type Ia supernovas to measure the expansion of the universe because they're bright enough to be seen from billions of light-years away.

You may also like: 50 space terms for understanding the universe

NASA, ESA, Hubble Key Project Team, High-Z Supernova Search Team

A Galactic Whirlpool (2005)

The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) is a favorite galaxy for many people, and this Hubble image shows why. As a "grand design" spiral galaxy, the spiral arms are clearly defined, dotted with bright young blue stars and pink clouds where new stars are forming. Gravitational interactions with the smaller galaxy likely drive this star formation at the right side of the image.

NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), Hubble Heritage Team

A Ring of Bright Matter (2013)

The Ring Nebula is a planetary nebula, the shedded material from a dying sun-like star. We see this system from an angle that shows the ring structure, but this 2013 HST image reveals the blue part of the nebula is an oblong bubble that passes through the ring. At the Ring Nebula's very center, you can make out a white dot that is a white dwarf, the remnant of the original star's core.

NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team

Gonggong and Xiangliu

The two largest known objects beyond Neptune in our solar system are Eris and Pluto; the third-largest is Gonggong, discovered in 2007 and finally named in 2019. These HST images show how astronomers discovered its moon Xiangliu by comparing archival pictures and looking for how things changed. Gonggong, like other distant solar system worlds, is too small to be anything but a pinpoint of light in most telescopes, requiring observatories of Hubble's caliber.

NASA, ESA, C. Kiss, J. Stansberry

What's Deeper than Deep? Ultra Deep (2004)

Following up on the earlier Hubble Deep Field Survey, astronomers upped the ante and conducted the Hubble Ultra Deep Field Survey, looking at one relatively empty patch of the sky for roughly 1 million seconds (nearly 12 full days). This longer exposure revealed 10,000 galaxies, including some of the most distant yet discovered.

NASA, ESA, N. Pirzkal, HUDF Team (STScI)

The Invisible Made Visible (2009)

The Bullet Cluster is actually two galaxy clusters caught in the act of collision, where the "bullet" is a shockwave in X-ray emitting hot gas (from Chandra, shown in red). The visible light Hubble data allowed astronomers to measure where the mass from each cluster was concentrated (shown in blue). They found most of that mass was separated from the hot gas, meaning it's made up of invisible matter; this is one of the best direct measurements of the mysterious dark matter that makes up most of the matter in the cosmos.

You may also like: 32 groundbreaking NASA missions in photographs

NASA

Neptune's Dark Spot (2019)

The Voyager 2 spacecraft provided us with our first images of Neptune with its 1989 flyby, showing, in particular, a large dark-colored storm on the planet's blue disk. Later Hubble pictures didn't show this Great Dark Spot, meaning the storm had dissipated. However, a new Great Dark Spot formed in a different place on Neptune, as seen in this image; this behavior shows how huge storms form and break up on giant worlds.

NASA, ESA, A. Simon, M. Wong, A. Hsu

Gravity Makes You See Quadruple (2020)

Quasars are supermassive black holes that heat up matter until it glows brightly. In these HST pictures, gravity from a foreground galaxy focuses and splits light from more distant quasars, making one quasar look like four. This effect is known as strong gravitational lensing, and astronomers use it to measure how far those quasars are from Earth by timing when each image flickers.

NASA, ESA, S.H. Suyu, K.C. Wong

The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (2014)

The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83) is a "flocculent" spiral galaxy, meaning its spiral arms look fleecy thanks to the copious amounts of gas and dust they contain. This high-resolution image of M83 reveals the processes of star formation and cavities where stars exploded in supernovas.

NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team

A Stellar Shockwave (2002)

The Great Nebula of Orion is a star-forming nebula that can be seen on a dark night without a telescope in Orion's "sword." A young hot star in that nebula, LL Ori, is pumping out streams of charged particles known as stellar wind at speeds high enough to produce a shockwave in the surrounding gas. Though we can't see the whole thing, this shockwave surrounds the star, though not in a spherical shape.

NASA, Hubble Heritage Team

A Cosmic Penguin (2013)

The two galaxies making up the object Arp 142 collided, their mutual gravity pulling one of the galaxies into a shape resembling a galactic penguin. This penguin was once a spiral galaxy like ours, but the encounter has disrupted its shape and driven the production of new stars. The second object is an elliptical galaxy, which consists of older stars and little gas, which may be why its shape hasn't been roughed up as much by the collision.

You may also like: U.S. Army history from the year you were born

NASA, Hubble Heritage Team

Snapshots of Infant Star Systems (2006)

These two images show disks of dust and ice around newborn stars, which are thought to resemble the Kuiper Belt in the outer part of our own solar system. These protoplanetary disks, as they are called, form from the leftovers of the host star's birth. In these cases, there might be planets orbiting closer in, but even Hubble's capabilities aren't good enough to see something so relatively tiny.

NASA, ESA, P. Kalas (University of California, Berkeley)

Ancient Stellar Jewels (2015)

Globular clusters are roughly spherical collections of tens of thousands of stars, including some of the oldest stars we know of. The cluster 47 Tucanae (located in the southern constellation Tucan) is part of the Milky Way but is older than our galaxy by several billion years.

NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team

The Tarantula Nebula in Infrared (2014)

The Large Magellanic Cloud is the largest satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, and home to Supernova 1987A. It's also home to the huge star-forming region known as the Tarantula Nebula. Hubble's infrared camera revealed a staggering 800,000 stars and protostars inside the Tarantula, of which you can see more than a few in this image.

NASA, ESA, E. Sabbi

An Inbound Comet (2017)

The comet C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS (or more simply K2) was first seen by Hubble in 2017 when it was past the orbit of Saturn. Comets are made of rock and ices (including water ice, carbon dioxide ice, and others) that form the distinctive tails when heated by the Sun. Even at that distance, sunlight was enough to melt the outer layers of K2, making it the most distant active comet ever seen.

NASA, ESA, and D. Jewitt (UCLA)

Our Next-Nearest Galactic Neighbor (2019)

The Milky Way is one of three large galaxies in the small cluster known as the Local Group. The other two are Andromeda (the biggest of the group) and Triangulum (M33), a small spiral. Despite the fact that it's probably as old as its larger neighbors, Triangulum is producing new stars at a fairly high rate, which intrigues astronomers.

You may also like: 50 famous paintings and the stories behind them

NASA, ESA, M. Durbin, J. Dalcanton, B.F. Williams (University of Washington)

A Galactic Rose (2011)

Galaxy collisions may seem violent, but they're one major way small galaxies grow into bigger ones, as they merge together. And undoubtedly galactic collisions are beautiful, as in with the galaxies of Arp 273, which HST captured to commemorate its 21st anniversary. As with other examples of interacting galaxies we've seen, Arp 273 shows star formation spurred on by each galaxy's gravitational tug on the other.

NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team

A Cap of Clouds (2019)

When Voyager 2 visited Uranus in 1986, the pictures it returned to Earth showed a green-blue planet nearly unblemished by clouds. By contrast, this recent Hubble image shows a stormy cap of clouds over Uranus' pole. Since Uranus has the most extreme axial tilt of all planets—essentially tipped on its side—it also experiences the most extreme seasons, which may drive weather in ways we don't fully understand yet.

NASA, ESA, A. Simon, M. Wong, A. Hsu

When the Same Supernova Happens More Than Once (2015)

Supernovas, by definition, only happen once, since when a star blows up, there's nothing left to explode again. However, using strong gravitational lensing, astronomers were able to witness Supernova Refsdal four times when light from the explosion passed near a foreground galaxy. This effectively quadrupled the data from the supernova, providing both extra information about the explosion and a way to test the modern theory of gravity in new ways.

NASA, ESA

Blowing Stellar Bubbles (2016)

All stars—our sun included—produce "wind" in the form of electrically charged particles blowing off the surface. The star at the center of the Bubble Nebula is 45 times more massive than the sun, and its wind has carved out a cavity in the surrounding gas seven light-years across. The nebula itself is the beautifully illuminated shape made where the wind collides with that gas.

NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team

A Supernova on the Face of a Spiral Galaxy (2018)

Spiral galaxy NGC 1015 has a striking appearance, in large part, because we see it almost perfectly "face on." The central part of the galaxy is marked by a bar of stars and gas, surrounded by a ring of matter. But this Hubble image also fortuitously includes Supernova 2009ig, a Type Ia supernova caused by the explosion of a white dwarf.

You may also like: Popular fashion trends the year you were born

NASA, ESA, A. Riess

The Red Rectangle Nebula (2004)

Most shapes in space are round or blobby, but the planetary nebula HD 44179 is boxy, giving it the popular name the Red Rectangle. This 2004 Hubble image shows that the fundamental shape of the matter being shed by a dying star is more like an X, which explains why the material looks rectangular from a distance.

NASA, ESA, Hans Van Winckel, Martin Cohen

A Moon for Makemake (2016)

Makemake is one of the dwarf planets in the outer solar system discovered within the past 20 years. Until 2015, astronomers couldn't tell if it had a satellite or not, but this Hubble image revealed a faint moon that might have been hiding in Makemake's glow previously. Named "S/2015 (136472) 1" and nicknamed "MK 2," the moon's presence helps astronomers measure important properties about Makemake, such as its mass.

NASA, ESA, A. Parker

Yeeting a Star From the Galaxy

This picture of a star looks downright mundane until you realize it's speeding out of our galaxy at a breakneck 1.6 million miles per hour. HE 0437-5439 is known as a "hypervelocity" star, and it was likely part of a multiple-star system that drifted too close to the Milky Way's supermassive black hole. The dance of gravity stripped HE 0437-5439 from its companions and kicked it out of the galaxy entirely.

NASA, ESA, O. Gnedin, W. Brown

The Sombrero Galaxy (2003)

The Sombrero Galaxy (M104) is another of Hubble's greatest hits, thanks to its very bright disk surrounded by a ring of dust. Because we see the galaxy nearly edge-on, it's hard to distinguish a lot of its features. However, astronomers have used this Hubble image to identify 2,000 globular clusters of stars in and around the galaxy.

NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team

A Dusty Red Planet (2018)

Mars can feel downright mundane compared to many of the other cosmic objects in Hubble's catalog, but astronomers have turned the telescope to look at our planetary neighbor many times in the past 30 years. This 2018 image shows the Red Planet with a winter cap of clouds over the north pole. You can also see Mars' two small potato-like moons, Phobos and Deimos, in the right and lower side of the photo, respectively.

You may also like: States doing the most for a clean energy future

NASA, ESA, STScI

A Deceptive Grouping (2009)

At first look, Stephan's Quintet seems to be five galaxies in collision. However, it turns out only three are actually interacting, and the bright galaxy in the upper left corner is seven times closer to Earth than the others. This optical illusion highlights the fact that occasionally things can look close together when they're actually very far apart, despite space being very big and mostly empty.

NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team

The Beauty of a Dying Star (2004)

The Cat's-Eye Nebula may be another planetary nebula, but each star like our sun seems to die in its own beautiful and spectacular fashion. This nebula, in particular, is strikingly complex, with concentric layers of shed material overlapping bubbles and an almost spiral-arm structure.

NASA, ESA, HEIC, Hubble Heritage Team

A Breathtakingly Distant Galaxy (2016)

Galaxy GN-z11 just looks like a red blob in this HST image, but that's because it's a breathtaking 13.4 billion light-years away. Since the universe is only about 13.8 billion years old, this means GN-z11 formed about as early as any galaxy can exist. In fact, it was very bright blue 13.4 billion years ago, but as the light from it traveled, it got stretched into the red part of the spectrum, a phenomenon known as cosmic redshifting.

NASA, ESA, P. Oesch (Yale University)

A Most Peculiar Star (2004)

The star V838 Monocerotis (in the constellation Monoceros, or the Unicorn) brightened suddenly in 2002, then faded. Astronomers turned to HST to look at it and found an expanding shell of gas around the star. This image shows a Firefox-like swirl of material shed by the star, which was probably left over from an earlier outburst.

NASA, Hubble Heritage Team

Hubble's Legacy (2019)

In 2019, Hubble astronomers collected 7,500 images taken over 16 years of observations to make the Hubble Legacy Survey. This mosaic includes infrared, optical, and ultraviolet data to provide a view of the cosmos, both deep and wide. With 265,000 galaxies in the field, you could spend your life looking at it and still find new things to discover, a worthy summation of Hubble's 30-year career so far.

You may also like: The best streaming services for football in 2021

NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Field Team

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraska’s first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

0 Comments

Love

0

Funny

0

Wow

0

Sad

0

Angry

0

Be the first to know

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Sign up!

* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.

Related to this story

Most Popular

Man found dead west of Elkhorn identified by Douglas County Sheriff's Office

A 35-year-old man found dead from a gunshot wound Saturday morning at a home west of the Elkhorn area has been identified by a spokesperson fr…

Ricketts defends pardon of man convicted of sexually assaulting estranged wife

U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts defended his 2022 vote to pardon a man convicted of first-degree sexual assault after a new ad featuring the victim cr…

Doane student killed in Texas in attempted murder-suicide

Jessica Villanueva, 22, was pronounced dead after sheriff's deputies responded to a home in San Antonio on a report of two people with gunshot wounds.

Nebraska father sues HHS after agency quotes $1M, 50 years for public records

A Nebraska man asked HHS for emails about a state contractor. The agency said it would cost nearly $1 million and take 50 years. Now he's suing.

Texas murder-suicide suspect who killed Doane student also attended Crete school

Ian Riles died Friday, two days after he shot and killed Doane University senior Jessica Villanueva in Texas. Riles also attended Doane, where…

Watch Now: Related Video

France first night under targeted curfews passed calmly

Rug hookers keep an old craft alive, one loop at a time

Rug hookers keep an old craft alive, one loop at a time

Sharon Vian, knitter

Sharon Vian, knitter

SquareOne hosts grand opening of new facility

Web Only

SquareOne hosts grand opening of new facility

Close

Star Party /COPYRIGHT RESTRICTED

Above the glassy waters of Merritt Reservoir, the Milky Way spills from horizon to horizon.

Astrophotographer Kumar Challa from St. Louis shows some of his work to a budding astronomer on the final night of the Nebraska Star Party. 

With tents, trailers and telescopes of all kinds, amateur astronomers staked their claim in the "observing field" at Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area's Snake River campground. 

Elephant's Trunk Nebula reaches out into the night sky. 

Nebraska Star Party coordinator Eric Balcom greets visitors to the 30th anniversary event. 

×

JournalStar.com

Prefer us on Google Learn More

Sites & Partners

Services

© Copyright 2026 The Lincoln Journal Star, PO Box 81609 Lincoln, NE 68501

A Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group.

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertising Terms of Use | Privacy Choices | Cookie Preferences

Powered by BLOX Content Management System from bloxdigital.com.

{{title}}

{{summary}}

You don't have any notifications.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

Topics

News Alerts

Subscribe

Breaking News

Subscribe

Husker News

Subscribe

customer support chat

VisaMastercardAmerican ExpressDiscoverJCBDiners ClubCredit CardCredit Card

Back ×

Offer

Sorry, an error occurred.

Already Subscribed!

Get StartedManage Service

Cancel anytime

You are logged in

 Switch accounts

Secure transaction. Cancel anytime. Have an account? Log In

Back ×

Sign Up

Account processing issue - the email address may already exist

User information

Username (Optional)

This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Choose wisely!

* First name

* Last name

* Email Address

Your email address will be used to confirm your account. We won't share it with anyone else.

* Password

Must be at least 8 characters, not contain repeating characters (e.g., 111), and not contain sequential numbers (e.g., 123).

Create a password that only you will remember. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address.

* Confirm Password

Confirm your password.

CAPTCHA

Create Account

or

Sign up with

Facebook Google

Have an account? Log In

×

You're all set!

Thank you .

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

OK

Back ×

Log In

Invalid password or account does not exist

Email Address

Password

Remember me

Forgot your password?

Log In

Email me a log in link

or

Sign in with

Facebook Google

Admin login Subscribe

Need an account? Sign Up

Back ×

Reset Password

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

Email or Screen Name

CAPTCHA

Reset Password

×

Forgot Password

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.

Back ×

Email me a log in link

Account Email

CAPTCHA

Send Email

Back ×

Promotional Offers

Promo code

Enter Promo Code

Redeem

No promotional rates found.

Back ×

Purchase Gift Purchase Access

See More Offers

details close

×

An error occurred

×

Secure & Encrypted

Sign in with

Email Address

Continue with Email Address

or

Continue with Facebook Continue with Google

What's your email address?

Email

Password

Confirm password

Must be at least 8 characters, not contain repeating characters (e.g., 111), and not contain sequential numbers (e.g., 123).

What's your name?

First name

Last name

Who is this gift for?

Recipient name

Recipient email

Optional message for the recipient

Who is this gift from?

Purchaser name

Purchaser email

Purchaser zip code

Delivery date

Delivery date

What's your billing location?

Address

City

State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces PacificArmed Forces EuropeNorthern Mariana IslandsMarshall IslandsAmerican SamoaFederated States of MicronesiaGuamPalauAlberta, CanadaBritish Columbia, CanadaManitoba, CanadaNew Brunswick, CanadaNewfoundland, CanadaNova Scotia, CanadaNorthwest Territories, CanadaNunavut, CanadaOntario, CanadaPrince Edward Island, CanadaQuebec, CanadaSaskatchewan, CanadaYukon Territory, Canada

Zip Code

Country United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People's Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People's Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People's Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People's Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People's Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People's RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People's RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People's Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People's RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

What's your delivery address?

Copy billing location

Address

City

State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces PacificArmed Forces EuropeNorthern Mariana IslandsMarshall IslandsAmerican SamoaFederated States of MicronesiaGuamPalauAlberta, CanadaBritish Columbia, CanadaManitoba, CanadaNew Brunswick, CanadaNewfoundland, CanadaNova Scotia, CanadaNorthwest Territories, CanadaNunavut, CanadaOntario, CanadaPrince Edward Island, CanadaQuebec, CanadaSaskatchewan, CanadaYukon Territory, Canada

Zip code

Country

United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People's Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People's Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People's Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People's Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People's Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People's RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People's RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People's Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People's RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

Phone

Purchase detail

Subtotal:

Total:

How would you like to pay?

Ending in

Add New Card

American Express Discover Mastercard Visa JCB Diners Club Credit Card Credit Card

Terms of service confirmation

I Agree to the Subscription Terms of Use.
This service will be automatically renewed and your credit card billed once it nears expiration.

Secure transaction. Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.

×

You're all set!

Thank you.

Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

Rate: Begins: Transaction ID:

A receipt was sent to your email.

OK

×

An error occurred

This offer is currently unavailable.

Close

Search AI Answers