This year, the beloved Hubble Space Telescope turned 30. Launched in 1990, it has been instrumental in helping us understand the expansion of the universe and has allowed us to peer out at objects far beyond our solar system.
Now, NASA has updated its Hubble Caldwell catalog, a collection of some of the most beautiful images Hubble has captured throughout the years. The Caldwell catalog project, which began in 1995, was a list originally compiled by astronomer Sir Patrick Caldwell-Moore as an addition to the traditional Messier catalog which lists astronomical objects that can be seen in the sky. The Caldwell catalog contains 109 objects including galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters which are visible to amateur astronomers.
Recommended Videos
For astronomers who want to refer to highly detailed images of the objects they’re observing, or simply for those who love to enjoy stunning images of space, the Hubble Caldwell catalog shows all of these objects in exquisite detail, as well as a map of where in the night sky each is located.
We’ve shared some of our favorite additions to the catalog below, which include dusty nebulae, distant galaxies, and bright star clusters:
This stunning image captures a small region on the edge of the inky Coalsack Nebula, or Caldwell 99.NASA, ESA, and R. Sahai (Jet Propulsion Laboratory); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)Caldwell 72, also known as NGC 55, is a galaxy located 6.5 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Sculptor.NASA, ESA, R. de Jong (Leibniz-Institut fur Astrophysik Potsdam [AIP]), and G. Illingworth (University of California – Santa Cruz); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)Caldwell 29, also known as NGC 5005, is a spiral galaxy that likely harbors a supermassive black hole at its heart.NASA, ESA, and L. Ho (Peking University); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)This beautiful Hubble image captures the core and some of the spiral arms of the galaxy Caldwell 36. Also known as NGC 4559, this spiral galaxy is located roughly 30 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices.NASA, ESA, and S. Smartt (The Queen's University of Belfast); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)Galaxies consist of a number of different structures, and the particulars of these structures drive the evolution of a given galaxy. One such structure in spiral galaxies like Caldwell 40 (or NGC 3626) is the galactic bulge. This structure is a densely packed region of stars that encompasses the heart of a spiral galaxy.NASA, ESA, and P. Erwin (Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)Caldwell 45, or NGC 5248, is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Boötes, and it is notable for the ring structure around its nucleus.NASA, ESA, J. Lee (California Institute of Technology), and A. Filippenko (University of California – Berkeley); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)This Hubble image captures Caldwell 78 (or NGC 6541), a globular star cluster roughly 22,000 light-years from Earth. The cluster is bright enough that backyard stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere can easily spot it with binoculars.NASA, ESA, and G. Piotto (Università degli Studi di Padova); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
Mysterious colorful clouds drift through Mars’s sky in new Curiosity images
As the Curiosity rover explores its way around Mars, it isn't only looking down at the martian rocks and regolith -- it is also looking up at the martian sky. Like Earth, Mars has its own seasonal weather patterns, but with its different atmosphere that weather can include some unusual phenomena, such as striking colorful clouds.
A recent video created from images captured by Curiosity shows clouds tinted red and green flowing though the sky over Mars. Captured using the rover's Mastcam instrument on January 17, 2025, the video shows the clouds during twilight on the red planet.
Hubble spots a cosmic bullseye: a galaxy with nine rings
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured this striking image of an unusual galaxy with a bullseye structure, as nine rings surround its central point. Technically known as LEDA 1313424, the galaxy has more rings than any other known galaxy, and studying it is helping astronomers to learn how galaxies like this are created.
Along with the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawai'i, astronomers used Hubble to see that there was not just one ring around this galaxy but many. "This was a serendipitous discovery," said lead researcher Imad Pashaof Yale University. "I was looking at a ground-based imaging survey and when I saw a galaxy with several clear rings, I was immediately drawn to it. I had to stop to investigate it."
Hubble snaps another gorgeous image of the Tarantula Nebula
This gorgeous new image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a bustling nearby star forming region called the Tarantula Nebula. Given its name due to its complex, web-like internal structure, this nebula is located in a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way called the Large Magellanic Cloud and is often studied by astronomers researching star formation and evolution.
This new image shows the edges of the nebula, further out from its center. In the middle of the nebula are enormous stars that are as much as 200 times the mass of the sun, but here on the outskirts the view is calmer.
