To close out Hubble's 2023 #messiermarathon, here's a glittering new image of Messier 19!

M19 is a globular cluster, but has a slightly elongated shape as opposed to a spherical shape. The cluster is only 6,500 light-years away from the center of our Milky Way, so the gravity and tidal forces from the massive galactic center could be to blame for stretching M19.

The Messier catalog features beautiful stargazing sights that amateur astronomers and observatories like Hubble observe. How many Messier objects did you spot during this year’s marathon?

You can explore all of Hubble's Messier views and learn more about these cosmic objects

Image credit: NASA, ESA, and C. Johnson (STScI); Image Processing: Gladys Kober

#nasa #hubble #messier #stargazing #astronomy #astrophotography #stars #space #science

What do all these Hubble images have in common?

They show the aftermath of stars that died in a bright, powerful explosion known as a supernova.

In a supernova, a star’s contents fling out into space at speeds of up to 25,000 miles (15,000 to 40,000 km) per second!

These supernova remnants are made of material from the exploded star and any interstellar material it sweeps up in its path. Read more about supernova remnants and other types of nebulae

Check out NASA Universe for more supernova content all week!

#nasa #hubble #supernova #stars #space #science #astronomy #astrophotography #nebula #universe

Cosmic contortions!

This #hubblefriday image shows a collection of galaxies and stars, including a bright cluster near the center that appears to be "stretching" nearby galaxies into arcs.

The cluster is acting as a gravitational lens. Its powerful gravitational field distorts and magnifies light coming from background objects!

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, H. Ebeling

#nasa #hubble #friday #galaxy #space #science #astronomy #astrophotography #cosmos