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Galactic Bullseye

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Galactic Bullseye

A swirling galaxy like a bullseye with blue and tan and orange gases around a central bright point.

(Image credit: NASA, ESA, Imad Pasha (Yale), Pieter van Dokkum (Yale))

Tuesday, February 4, 2025: Hubble definitely hit the target with this one. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of LEDA 1313424, the Bullseye galaxy, which measures 2.5x larger than the Milky Way. LEDA 1313424 has more rings than any other known galaxy in the universe. Scientists were able to view eight rings using Hubble, and then, and then combined that with data from the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, to confirm a ninth. The observatories' images were also used to determine which galaxy piled through the center of LEDA 1313424, creating he galaxy's distinct rings — the blue dwarf galaxy just to the left is the apparent culprit, linked to the Bullseye galaxy by a thin trail of gas spanning 130,000 light-years.

Space Selfie!

the mirrored visor of a space suit shows the reflection of earth and two hands holding a camera.

(Image credit: NASA / Butch Wilmore)

Monday, February 3, 2025: NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore completed the International Space Station's 274th spacewalk last week, dubbed U.S. EVA 92. The duo will spent about 6.5 hours outside the ISS, disconnecting a piece of communications equipment for refurbishment back on Earth. During the lengthy EVA, Wilmore snapped this selfie with Earth reflected in his visor.

Read more: NASA astronaut Suni Williams sets new record on 5.5-hour spacewalk outside ISS (video)

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SpaceX's Starship Flight 5 Super Heavy booster approaches its launch tower for the first-ever landing and capture at the pad after launching on a suborbital test flight from Starbase in South Texas on Oct. 13, 2024.

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Space.com Staff
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Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor. 

10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • The Exoplanets Channel
    The images are truly breath-taking.
    Reply
  • rod
    The Exoplanets Channel said:
    The images are truly breath-taking.

    The Exoplanets Channel, what star and reddish exoplanet is shown in your picture, looks like about 8" angular separation? I use this site as my canonical reference to exoplanets, The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia Currently 4150 exoplanets are listed.
    Reply
  • spaceguy
    yes they are
    Reply
  • swiggly
    The Exoplanets Channel said:
    The images are truly breath-taking.

    My Comet Image:

    Neowise
    Reply
  • rod
    swiggly said:
    My Comet Image:

    Neowise
    This is a very good image here. In enjoyed some recent views of NEOWISE using my 90-mm telescope at 40x early, shortly after 0415 EDT. Bifurcated tail obvious too.
    Reply
  • Helio
    The IOD image for yesterday of the Veil nebula is stunning! The graphics are such that it's almost as if it has an oil film on top. It has both 3D and texture feel to it.
    Reply
  • Jack Colter
    The was no Artemis 13 mission. It was Apollo.
    Reply
  • Astro.Letizia
    I hope they start posting these daily again! I always start my day off with the newest image but it's been a couple of months now :(
    Reply
  • Helio
    APOD is a another great source for astro eye candy.
    Reply
  • Astro.Letizia
    Helio said:
    APOD is a another great source for astro eye candy.
    Thanking you!
    Reply