Our #HubbleTopImage features gravitational lensing π in Abell 1689!
This Hubble image from 2010 shows the galaxy cluster Abell 1689, with the mass distribution of the dark matter in the gravitational lens overlaid in purple. The mass in this lens is made up partly of normal
Official @ESA feed for #Hubble Space Telescope β the space-based observatory which has revolutionised modern astronomy. #BFFinSpace with @ESA_Webb
- Our #HubbleTopImage features a galaxy π which rules the neighbourhood! ESO 306-17 is a large, bright elliptical galaxy in the southern sky of a type known as a βfossil groupβ due to their isolation. But are they really like fossils β what is left of a once-active community β or
- In the 2026 ESA/Hubble and ESA/Webb calendar, the month of June features the young star cluster Pismis 24, which is found in the Lobster Nebula π¦β¨ approximately 5,500 light-years from Earth. This is one of the nearest sites of massive star birth! Ready to print .pdf here:
- Spiralling towards the innermost reaches of the Virgo Cluster! β©οΈ Access more space-themed .gifs at our giphy page: giphy.com/esahubble
GIF - Messier 88 (M88) is on a journey to the innermost reaches of the Virgo Cluster, a collection of more than 1000 galaxies bound by gravity, orbiting the massive elliptical galaxy at the centre πΉπ 1/3
00:00As M88 approaches, it will experience ram pressure stripping (its gas will be swept away as it pushes through the gas between galaxies in the cluster). This will affect its ability to form stars, and change the course of its evolution! 2/3Read more here: esahubble.org/images/potm260β¦ π· @ESA / @Hubble_Space & @NASA , D. Thilker and the MAUVE-HST Team, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble) πΆΒ Stellardrone - Billions and Billions 3/3 - Our ESA/Hubble Picture of the Month takes a journey to the centre of a galaxy cluster! Messier 88 (M88) is located about 63 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices (Bereniceβs Hair). It is a member of the Virgo Cluster, a collection of more than 1000As they move through space, they also orbit the clusterβs centre of gravity. M88 is on a long, perilous cosmic journey that will bring it into the innermost reaches of the cluster β and draw close to the monstrous galaxy at the centre πΉπ 2/3M88 will be changed by its journey thanks to ram pressure stripping β a process in which a galaxyβs gas is swept away as it pushes through the gas between galaxies in a cluster. This will affect its ability to form stars, and change the course of its evolution. Read more:
- Our #HubbleTopImage weighs up the COSMOS field βοΈ This image shows the (mostly dark) matter distribution in the COSMOS field, created from data taken by Hubble and ground-based telescopes. 1/2The study involved Hubble photographing hundreds of overlapping views of the same part of the Universe over nearly 1000 hours of observations! Read more: esahubble.org/news/heic1005/ π· @NASA , @esa , P. Simon (University of Bonn) and T. Schrabback (Leiden Observatory) 2/2
- Our #HubbleTopImage features a celestial bauble πͺ© This sphere of gas appears to float serenely through space. Its apparent calm, however, hides an inner turmoil β it formed as a supernovaβs expanding blast wave and ejected material tore through the nearby interstellar medium!Read more: esahubble.org/news/heic1018/ π· @NASA , @esa , and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA). Acknowledgement: J. Hughes (Rutgers University) 2/2
- In the 2026 ESA/Hubble and ESA/Webb calendar, the month of May puts the spotlight on Jupiterβs auroras. These auroras, captured here by @ESA_Webb , are hundreds of times brighter than those on Earth. Ready to print .pdf here: esahubble.org/products/calenβ¦Β 1/2
- Spiralling around through space with NGC 3137! 𫨠Access more space-themed .gifs at our giphy page: ow.ly/EEHy50YS0gr
GIF - Our #HubbleTopImage features a lensing cluster π The giant galaxy cluster in the centre of this image contains so much dark matter that its gravity bends the light of more distant objects. This means that for very distant galaxies in the background, the clusterβs gravitationalThese gravitational lenses are one tool astronomers can use to extend Hubbleβs vision beyond what it would normally be capable of observing. This way some of the very first galaxies in the Universe can be studied by astronomers! Read more: esahubble.org/news/heic1106/ π· @NASA ,
- Our ESA/Hubble Picture of the Month features a starry spiral in a familiar neighbourhood ποΈπ NGC 3137 is located 53 million light-years away in the constellation Antlia (The Air Pump). It travels through space with a group of galaxies thought to be similar to the Local Group,This Hubble image was crafted from observations in six colour bands, revealing many stunning details of the spiral galaxy. Of all these details, itβs the star clusters that steal the show! π€© NGC 3137 is peppered with clusters of bright blue stars and glowing red gas clouds.
00:00Read more: esahubble.org/images/potm260β¦] π· @ESA / @Hubble_Space & @NASA , D. Thilker and the PHANGS-HST Team 3/3










