Let's see if we can chill out a little today.
Lots of cool pictures this week. Let's see if they have a theme to go with the soundtrack.
City of stars, are you shining just for me?
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) May 29, 2026
This new Hubble view shows the spiral galaxy M88, located about 63 million light-years away.
M88 is an active galaxy, which means that its center holds a supermassive black hole that snacks on gas and dust: https://t.co/wgqlDIHqSq pic.twitter.com/bnLqVY5j7H
The Cat's Paw.
A dazzling multi-wavelength view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula:This stunning composite image combines X-rays from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory (shown in pink) with infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope. At the center, a mottled purple region marks a cluster of young,… pic.twitter.com/WlxvMikSrQ
— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) May 30, 2026
This one is fun. Click through; you need to see all three images for the full effect.
🔭 NGC 6992 & NGC 6995 (Eastern Veil Nebula) - part of the Veil Nebula supernova remnant, about 2400 ly away. Captured with 1,535 × 10s exposures using a Seestar S50. Ancient stellar debris still glowing across Cygnus. #NGC6992 #VeilNebula #Astrophotography #astronomy #nebula pic.twitter.com/Glc3VpMRb9
— Rad van Mad (@rvanmad) May 31, 2026
I think we've seen the Eagle Nebula recently, but this is a nice shot.
Eagle Nebula (Messier 16) in Hubble Palette (SHO). 17 & 19 September 2025. Seestar S50 in Alt-Az mode. 659x10s (integration time 1 hour 50 minutes) stacked in Seestar App & processed in Graxpert, Cosmic Clarity Suite & ACDSee. Location: Abbottabad. Pakistan.@smartphone_astr pic.twitter.com/m1Hb6SPZ3F
— Astronomer G15 (@astronomer_g15) May 30, 2026
Orion is possibly the part of the sky with the most excitement.
M42 Great Orion nebula by @astronomer_g15 pic.twitter.com/9PJtNmhHPp
— Julio Maiz (@maiz_julio) June 3, 2026
Wolf-Rayet stars are fascinating. They're basically the last few moments — in universe time, at least, just a few hundred thousand years — before a really large star blows up in a supernova. The result is a neutron star for a small one, a black hole for a larger one, and sometimes a really big one can collapse into a black hole without the supernova, because they become a black hole too quickly to have a chance to explode.
The 'Crescent Nebula' in Cygnus is a beautiful bubble of glowing gas, and one of the most dramatic summer targets to photograph.
— 🔭AstroBackyard (@AstroBackyard) June 4, 2026
This area is shaped by powerful stellar winds from a massive Wolf-Rayet star, creating a delicate shell of hydrogen and oxygen gas.
I captured this… pic.twitter.com/l5kTQQDarL
This image has almost all the stages in a star's life cycle.
Life Cycle of Stars
— Universal-Sci (@universal_sci) June 2, 2026
This striking Hubble Space Telescope image of the massive nebula NGC 3603 showcases, in exquisite detail, multiple stages of stellar evolution unfolding within a single scene.
(Credit: NASA on The Commons) pic.twitter.com/M5KQLKFtJY
Sometimes they're just little supernovas.
A stunning view of DEM L249, the remains of a supernova in the LMC, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way about 160,000 light-years away
— Universal-Sci (@universal_sci) May 31, 2026
It was likely created by a Type 1a supernova, the explosive end of a white dwarf star in a binary system
(Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Y. Chu) pic.twitter.com/mSS8wShVKg
One of the amazing things about being able to do astronomy without this pesky atmosphere is that we can see spectra that we can't from Earth. This is the same galaxy in visible light from Hubble and in infrared for JWST, which lets us see the details Hubble can't.
One galaxy, two realities. Hubble reveals M51's glowing spirals; Webb pierces dust to show hidden starbirth 31M light-years away. pic.twitter.com/968GftShkI
— Stellarix (@Stellarixorine) June 4, 2026
Not too many years ago, Larry Niven wrote a story based on Beowulf Scheaffer discovering the Milky Way was exploding by going to the Hub. This would have saved him a trip.
The supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, Sagittarius A*, is blowing a hot cosmic wind — something scientists have been hunting for over 50 years. ⚫More on the discovery at: https://t.co/rm9nkb4Jsf pic.twitter.com/RCiha9J9Nd
— Chandra Observatory (@chandraxray) June 4, 2026
Leaving time for some lepidoptery.
The Butterly Nebula captured by Hubble 🦋 pic.twitter.com/sUVMpUuVJW
— Astropics (@astropics) May 30, 2026
It's a lot more congenial out here in the suburbs.
The Milky Way in the northern hemisphere during summer!
— Michael Terhune (@SharpStarAstro) June 5, 2026
I took this with my wide angle lens! pic.twitter.com/a7ddEKVTqs
With some exciting moments.
This is absolutely wild.
— Mor Edge Insight (@MorEdge_Insight) June 3, 2026
What you’re watching is a Gigantic Jet, one of the rarest and most powerful electrical phenomena in Earth’s atmosphere.
It’s a massive upward lightning bolt that shoots from the top of a thunderstorm all the way up into the ionosphere, reaching heights… pic.twitter.com/xjZyBba5ri
Sometimes the really pretty pictures turn out to be AI...
BENEATH A CRYSTAL-CLEAR WINTER SKY, Vibrant aurora lights dance gracefully across the horizon while the Milky Way sparkles overhead. Snow-covered landscapes reflect the celestial glow, creating a magical and unforgettable scene. This breathtaking display of nature's beauty… pic.twitter.com/SG6seduLtV
— Sci_Explore (@sci_explore1) June 2, 2026
... And sometimes they don't.
Aurora exploding over Black Church, Iceland
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) June 4, 2026
[📸 Navaneeth Unnikrishnan] pic.twitter.com/F6SoHJpu6I
And that's a wrap for today. Comment away, and remember to come back next Friday for more Sky Candy.
