10 Mind-Bending Photos From The Spitzer Telescope
Ten years ago, a Delta II rocket launched NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
As the fourth Great Observatory to enter into space, Spitzer has studied comets and asteroids, counted stars, and most notably, discovered "buckyballs" — soccer-ball-shaped carbon spheres crucial to star birth. The
Entering its second-decade of space scrutiny, Spitzer must now undertake the task of helping
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This infrared image shows a Helix nebula 700 light years away from Earth in the constellation Aquarius.
Source: NASA
The Carina nebula, shown below, contains Eta Carinae, a massive star around 100 times the size of the sun.
Source: NASA
Two extremely bright stars omit a greenish fog, comprised of carbon and hydrogen compounds found right here on Earth in vehicle exhaust.
Source: Caltech
This formation, overtaking the Crab nebula, represents the leftovers from a star's spectacular death in Taurus in 1054 A.D.
Source: Caltech
This photo of Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud contains more than 300 newborn stars. It's one of the closest star-forming regions to our own solar system.
Source: NASA
The "flames" in this Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy are actually giant ripples of dust, spanning hundreds of light years.
Source: Caltech
Spitzer caught these two "antennae" galaxies entangled with each other.
Source: Caltech
Powerful winds and intense radiation surrounding high mass stars create large columns of gas and dust, seen on the sides of the photo.
Source: Caltech
M33 is one of the Milky Way's closest galactic neighbors, located about 2.9 million light years away.
Source: Caltech
Here, new stars "hatch" from the constellation Orion's head. Astronomers suspect shock waves from a supernova nearly three million years ago initiated the birth.
Source: Caltech
Like space photos?
Check out stunning images from the Hubble Telescope »
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