The Glory of the Heavens

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalms 19:1, NIV)
Slide 86 of 86: This Hubble Space Telescope image of a sparkling jewel box full of stars captures the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. The image is a composite of exposures taken in near-infrared and visible light with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3. The observations are part of two Hubble surveys: the Galactic Bulge Treasury Program and the Sagittarius Window Eclipsing Extrasolar Planet Search.

Slide 86 of 86: This Hubble Space Telescope image of a sparkling jewel box full of stars captures the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. The image is a composite of exposures taken in near-infrared and visible light with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3. The observations are part of two Hubble surveys: the Galactic Bulge Treasury Program and the Sagittarius Window Eclipsing Extrasolar Planet Search.

This Hubble Space Telescope image of a sparkling jewel box full of stars captures the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. It's a composite of exposures taken in near-infrared and visible light with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3.

Slide 85 of 86: Gullies on Martian sand dunes, like these in Matara Crater, have been very active, with many flows in the last ten years. The flows typically occur when seasonal frost is present. In this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter we see frost in and around two gullies, which have both been active before. (View this observation to see what these gullies looked like in 2010.) There are no fresh flows so far this year, but HiRISE will keep watching. The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 50.3 centimeters (19.8 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 151 centimeters (59.4 inches) across are resolved.] North is up. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

Gullies on Martian sand dunes, like these in Matara Crater, as captured from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Slide 84 of 86: Peering deep into the early universe, this picturesque parallel field observation from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals thousands of colorful galaxies swimming in the inky blackness of space. A few foreground stars from our own galaxy, the Milky Way, are also visible. In October 2013 Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) began observing this portion of sky as part of the Frontier Fields program. This spectacular skyscape was captured during the study of the giant galaxy cluster Abell 2744, otherwise known as Pandora’s Box. While one of Hubble’s cameras concentrated on Abell 2744, the other camera viewed this adjacent patch of sky near to the cluster. Containing countless galaxies of various ages, shapes and sizes, this parallel field observation is nearly as deep as the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field. In addition to showcasing the stunning beauty of the deep universe in incredible detail, this parallel field — when compared to other deep fields — will help astronomers understand how similar the universe looks in different directions. Image credit: NASA, ESA and the HST Frontier Fields team (STScI), Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt Text credit: European Space Agency

The Hubble Space Telescope reveals thousands of colorful galaxies in space.

Slide 83 of 86: The image above only begins to describe Hubble's ability to amaze with both beauty and science. A massive black hole hidden at the center of nearby galaxy, Centaurus A, feeds on a smaller galaxy in a spectacular collision.

A massive black hole is seen at the center of the galaxy Centaurus A as captured by Hubble Space Telescope.

Slide 82 of 86: IN SPACE - JULY/AUGUST 2009: In this composite image provided by NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team, Stephan's Quintet (HCG 92) in the Pegasus constellation is pictured in Space. Today, September 9, 2009, NASA released the first images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope since its repair in the spring. (Photo by NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team via Getty Images)

A composite image of galaxy cluster Stephan's Quintet in the Pegasus constellation, provided by NASA, ESA and Hubble Space Telescope.

Slide 81 of 86: IN SPACE - UNDATED: In this image provided by NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team, a stellar jet in the Carina Nebula is pictured in Space. Today, September 9, 2009, NASA released the first images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope since its repair in the spring. (Photo by NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team via Getty Images)

A stellar jet in the Carina Nebula is pictured in this undated image provided by NASA, ESA and Hubble Space Telescope.

Slide 80 of 86: The constellations of (left to right) Ara, Telescopium, Corona Australis and Sagittarius, with the tail of Scorpius on the bottom left, circa 1990. (Photo by Space Frontiers/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The constellations of (L-R) Ara, Telescopium, Corona Australis and Sagittarius, with the tail of Scorpius on the bottom left, circa 1990.

The colorful nebula NGC 604 is located in the Triangulum Galaxy which is approximately three million light-years from Earth.
Slide 78 of 86: UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 13: Hubble Space Telescope image looking down a tunnel of glowing gases that is millions of miles long. Combined with a wide view from a ground telescope, it's one of the largest and most detailed celestial images ever made. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)

Slide 78 of 86: UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 13: Hubble Space Telescope image looking down a tunnel of glowing gases that is millions of miles long. Combined with a wide view from a ground telescope, it's one of the largest and most detailed celestial images ever made. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)

The composite picture of Helix Nebula is a blend of ultra-sharp images from Hubble Space Telescope combined with the wide view of the Mosaic Camera on the National Science Foundation's telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Slide 77 of 86: In this image, an expanding shell of debris called SNR 0519-69.0 is left behind after a massive star exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to the Milky Way. Multimillion degree gas is seen in X-rays from Chandra, in blue. The outer edge of the explosion (red) and stars in the field of view are seen in visible light from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Slide 77 of 86: In this image, an expanding shell of debris called SNR 0519-69.0 is left behind after a massive star exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to the Milky Way. Multimillion degree gas is seen in X-rays from Chandra, in blue. The outer edge of the explosion (red) and stars in the field of view are seen in visible light from the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Hubble Space Telescope captures an expanding shell of debris called SNR 0519-69.0, left behind after a massive star explosion in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy.

Slide 76 of 86: It may be famous for hosting spectacular sights such as the Tucana Dwarf Galaxy and 47 Tucanae (heic1510), the second brightest globular cluster in the night sky, but the southern constellation of Tucana (The Toucan) also possesses a variety of unsung cosmic beauties. One such beauty is NGC 299, an open star cluster located within the Small Magellanic Cloud just under 200,000 light-years away. Open clusters such as this are collections of stars weakly bound by the shackles of gravity, all of which formed from the same massive molecular cloud of gas and dust. Because of this, all the stars have the same age and composition, but vary in their mass because they formed at different positions within the cloud. This unique property not only ensures a spectacular sight when viewed through a sophisticated instrument attached to a telescope such as Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, but gives astronomers a cosmic laboratory in which to study the formation and evolution of stars — a process that is thought to depend strongly on a star’s mass. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA Text credit: European Space Agency

An open star cluster called NGC 299 is seen near Nubecula Minor, a dwarf galaxy near Milky Way.

Slide 75 of 86: This Image of the sun taken by Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) of the NASA and ESA operated The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) aircraft.Image of the sun taken by Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) of the NASA and ESA operated The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) aircraft. (EIT) image of a huge, handle-shaped prominence was taken on Sept. 14,1999. Taken in the 304 angstrom wavelength, prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona. At times, they can erupt, escaping the Sun's atmosphere. Emission in this spectral line shows the upper chromosphere at a temperature of about 60,000 degrees K. Every feature in the image traces magnetic field structure. The hottest areas appear almost white, while the darker red areas indicate cooler temperatures.

An image of the sun taken by NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope and the ESA-operated Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft.
Slide 74 of 86: A starry twilight sky looms over a nondescript Martian surface. If you had happened to be standing next to the Mars Curiosity rover as it took this picture, you would have seen Earth shining as a distinct “evening star.”

Slide 74 of 86: A starry twilight sky looms over a nondescript Martian surface. If you had happened to be standing next to the Mars Curiosity rover as it took this picture, you would have seen Earth shining as a distinct “evening star.”

The Curiosity rover took this image of twilight on Mars, with Earth shining as a distinct evening star.

Slide 73 of 86: Why does Jupiter have rings? Jupiter's rings were discovered in 1979 by the passing Voyager 1 spacecraft, but their origin was a mystery. Data from the Galileo spacecraft that orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 later confirmed that these rings were created by meteoroid impacts on small nearby moons. As a small meteoroid strikes tiny Adrastea, for example, it will bore into the moon, vaporize and explode dirt and dust off into a Jovian orbit. Pictured above is an eclipse of the sun by Jupiter, as viewed from Galileo. Small dust particles high in Jupiter's atmosphere, as well as the dust particles that compose the rings, can be seen by reflected sunlight. Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Galileo Project, (NOAO), J. Burns (Cornell) et al.

An eclipse of the Sun by Jupiter, as viewed from Galileo spacecraft.

Slide 72 of 86: The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope had imaged NGC 6818 before, but it took another look at this planetary nebula, with a new mix of colour filters, to display it in all its beauty. By showing off its stunning turquoise and rose quartz tones in this image, NGC 6818 lives up to its popular name: Little Gem Nebula. This cloud of gas formed some 3500 years ago when a star like the Sun reached the end of its life and ejected its outer layers into space. As the layers of stellar material spread out from the nucleus – the white stellar remnant at the centre of the image – they ended up acquiring unusual shapes. NGC 6818 features pinkish knotty filaments and two distinct turquoise layers: a bright, oval inner region and, draped over it like sheer fabric, a spherical outer region. The central star has a faint stellar companion 150 astronomical units away, or five times the distance between the Sun and Neptune. You can just about make this out: if you zoom in to the centre, you’ll notice the white dot in the middle is not perfectly round, but rather two dots very close together. With a diameter of just over half a light-year, the planetary nebula itself is about 250 times larger than the binary system. But the nebula material is still close enough to its parent star for the ultraviolet radiation the star releases to ionise the dusty gas and make it glow. Scientists believe the star also releases a high-speed flow of particles – a stellar wind – that is responsible for the oval shape of the inner region of the nebula. The fast wind sweeps away the slowly moving dusty gas, piercing its inner bubble at the oval ends, seen at the lower left and top right corners of the image. NGC 6818 is located in the constellation of Sagittarius and is about 6000 light-years from Earth. It was first imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 in 1997, and again in 1998 and 2000 using different colour filters to highlight different gases in the nebula.

The Little Gem Nebula or NGC 6818 as pictured by Hubble Space Telescope and seen through different colored filters.

Slide 71 of 86: These shape-shifting galaxies have taken on the form of a giant mask. The icy blue eyes are actually the cores of two merging galaxies, called NGC 2207 and IC 2163, and the mask is their spiral arms. The false-color image consists of infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (red) and visible data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (blue/green). NGC 2207 and IC 2163 met and began a sort of gravitational tango about 40 million years ago. The two galaxies are tugging at each other, stimulating new stars to form. Eventually, this cosmic ball will come to an end, when the galaxies meld into one. The dancing duo is located 140 million light-years away in the Canis Major constellation. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/Vassar

Galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163, located 140 million light-years away in the Canis Major constellation, tug at each other, stimulating the formation of new stars.

Slide 70 of 86: Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts-Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders-held a live broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and moon as seen from their spacecraft. Said Lovell, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis.

When Apollo 8 entered the lunar orbit on 1968 Christmas Eve, astronauts Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders held a live broadcast showing pictures of the Earth and Moon as seen from their spacecraft.
Slide 69 of 86: The full Moon as photographed during NASA's Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, as the three astronauts begin their journey back to Earth, 21st July 1969. The spacecraft was already 10,000 nautical miles from the Moon when the image was taken. (Photo by Space Frontiers/Getty Images)

Slide 69 of 86: The full Moon as photographed during NASA's Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, as the three astronauts begin their journey back to Earth, 21st July 1969. The spacecraft was already 10,000 nautical miles from the Moon when the image was taken. (Photo by Space Frontiers/Getty Images)

The full moon as photographed during NASA's Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, as the astronauts began their journey back to Earth, on July 21, 1969. The spacecraft was already 10,000 nautical miles (18,520 kilometers) from the Moon when the image was taken.
Slide 68 of 86: 376713 03: (FILE PHOTO) Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., the lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, stands next to a United States flag July 20, 1969 during an Apollo 11 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) on the surface of the Moon. The 30th anniversary of Apollo's moon landing is celebrated July 20, 1999. (Photo by NASA/Newsmakers)

Slide 68 of 86: 376713 03: (FILE PHOTO) Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., the lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, stands next to a United States flag July 20, 1969 during an Apollo 11 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) on the surface of the Moon. The 30th anniversary of Apollo's moon landing is celebrated July 20, 1999. (Photo by NASA/Newsmakers)

Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., the lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, stands next to a U.S. flag during an Apollo 11 Extravehicular Activity on the surface of the Moon on July 20, 1969.

Slide 67 of 86: File Photo: The Crew Of Apollo 17 Took This Photograph Of Earth In December 1972 While The Spacecraft Was Traveling Between The Earth And The Moon. The Orange-Red Deserts Of Africa And Saudi Arabia Stand In Stark Contrast To The Deep Blue Of The Oceans And The White Of Both Clouds And Snow-Covered Antarctica. (Photo By Nasa/Getty Images)

View of the Earth as seen by the crew of Apollo 17 in December 1972.
Slide 66 of 86: 29th March 1974: The planet Mercury, the nearest planet to the Sun, as seen from the exploratory spacecraft Mariner 10. A photomosaic tinted to approximate the appearance of Mercury. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Slide 66 of 86: 29th March 1974: The planet Mercury, the nearest planet to the Sun, as seen from the exploratory spacecraft Mariner 10. A photomosaic tinted to approximate the appearance of Mercury. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

A photomosaic tinted to approximate the appearance of Mercury as seen from the exploratory spacecraft Mariner 10 on March 29, 1974.
Slide 65 of 86: 1979: The Great Red Spot on the planet Jupiter and the turbulent region to the west, as seen by the space probe Voyager 1. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images) Restrictions

Slide 65 of 86: 1979: The Great Red Spot on the planet Jupiter and the turbulent region to the west, as seen by the space probe Voyager 1. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images) Restrictions

The Great Red Spot on Jupiter and the turbulent region to the west, as seen by Voyager 1 in 1979.

Slide 64 of 86: American astronaut Bruce McCandless II photographed from the Space Shuttle Challenger during the first untethered EVA, made possible by his nitrogen jet propelled backpack (Manned Manuevering Unit or MMU), 7th February 1984. (Photo by NASA/Space Frontiers/Getty Images)

American astronaut Bruce McCandless II photographed from the Space Shuttle Challenger during the first untethered spacewalk in Earth orbit on Feb. 7, 1984.
Slide 63 of 86: 385551 01: Halley's Comet photographed by the Soviet Probe 'Vega' in 1986. (Photo by Liaison)

Halley's Comet photographed by the Soviet probe Vega in 1986.

Slide 62 of 86: Neptune's largest moon Triton, is seen in this mosaic of images captured by Voyager 2 during the only visit thus far to the Neptune system. Triton is one of only three objects in the Solar System known to have a nitrogen-dominated atmosphere (the others are Earth and Saturn's giant moon, Titan). It has the coldest surface known anywhere in the Solar System (38 K, about -391 degrees Fahrenheit) - so cold that most of Triton's nitrogen is condensed as frost, making it the only satellite in the Solar System known to have a surface made mainly of nitrogen ice. The dark streaks overlying the pinkish ices at bottom are believed to be dust deposited from huge geyser-like plumes, some of which were found to be active during the Voyager 2 flyby. The bluish-green band visible in this image extends all the way around Triton near the equator; it may consist of relatively fresh nitrogen frost deposits. The greenish areas includes what is called the cantaloupe terrain, whose origin is unknown, and a set of "cryovolcanic" landscapes apparently produced by icy-cold liquids (now frozen) erupted from Triton's interior.

Neptune's largest moon, Triton is seen in this mosaic of images captured by Voyager 2 in 1989.
Slide 61 of 86: This dramatic view of the crescents of Neptune and Triton was acquired by Voyager II approximately 3 days, 6 and one-half hours after it's closest approach to Neptune (August 29, 1989). (Photo by Photo12/UIG/Getty Images)

Slide 61 of 86: This dramatic view of the crescents of Neptune and Triton was acquired by Voyager II approximately 3 days, 6 and one-half hours after it's closest approach to Neptune (August 29, 1989). (Photo by Photo12/UIG/Getty Images)

The crescents of Neptune and its moon Triton was acquired by Voyager II, approximately three days, six and a half hours after its closest approach to Neptune on Aug. 29, 1989.

Slide 60 of 86: 1st April 1995: An image taken via Hubble telescope entitled Pillars of Creation, depicting gaseous pillars in M16, the Eagle Nebula. These columns of hydrogen and dust act as incubators for new stars. (Photo by Space Frontiers/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Gaseous pillars are seen in the Eagle Nebula in an image captured by Hubble Space Telescope in April 1995.
Slide 59 of 86: UNSPECIFIED : Moon set over the Earth limb taken from Space Shuttle ?Discovery? during STS-70 mission. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)

Slide 59 of 86: UNSPECIFIED : Moon set over the Earth limb taken from Space Shuttle ?Discovery? during STS-70 mission. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)

Moon sets over Earth in this image taken from space shuttle Discovery during STS-70 mission in July 1995.

Slide 58 of 86: Sunrise over the West Indies, as seen from the space shuttle Discovery during NASA's STS-70 mission, July 1995. (Photo by Space Frontiers/Getty Images)

Sunrise over the West Indies, as seen from the space shuttle Discovery during NASA's STS-70 mission in July 1995.

Slide 57 of 86: 7th December 1995: The released Galileo probe enters the turbulent upper atmosphere of Jupiter with its heat shield below and a parachute above. It is expected to relay around 75 minutes of information to earth, before it succumbs to the surrounding temperature and pressure. Behind it is the Galileo Orbiter, which remains above the cloud level to observe the Jupiter system from above. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

The Galileo probe enters the turbulent upper atmosphere of Jupiter with its heat shield below and a parachute above on Dec. 7, 1995. It was expected to relay around 75 minutes of information to earth, before succumbing to the surrounding temperature and pressure. Behind it is the Galileo Orbiter, which was to remain above the cloud level to observe the Jupiter system from above.

Slide 56 of 86: The majestic spiral galaxy NGC 4414 as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. (Photo by NASA)

The majestic spiral galaxy NGC 4414 as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1999.

Slide 55 of 86: UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 29: Glowing in the constellation Aquila like a giant eye, the nebula NGC 6751, is a cloud of gas ejected several thousand years ago from the hot star visible in its centre. The hubble observations were obtained in 1998 with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) by a team of astronomers led by Arsen Hajian of the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC. The nebula shows several remarkable and poorly understood features. Blue regions mark the hottest glowing gas, which forms a roughly circular ring around the central stellar remnant. Orange and red show the locations of cooler gas. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)

A giant celestial eye is seen in this image of planetary nebula NGC 6751 taken by Hubble Space Telescope in January 2000.

Slide 54 of 86: The Cassini spacecraft captured Jupiter's Great Red Spot and the volcanic moon Io in this color composite image taken during its flyby of the giant planet in 2000. The picture is a color composite, with enhanced contrast, taken from a distance of 28.6 million km (17.8 million miles). It has a resolution of 170 km (106 miles) per pixel. Jupiter's closest large moon, Io, is visible at left. The edges of the Red Spot are cloudier with ammonia haze than the spot's center. The filamentary structure in the center appears to spiral outward toward the edge. NASA's Galileo spacecraft has previously observed the outer edges of the Red Spot to be rotating rapidly counterclockwise, while the inner portion was rotating weakly in the opposite direction. Whether the same is true now will be answered as Cassini gets closer to Jupiter and interior cloud features become sharper. Cassini will make its closest approach to Jupiter, at a distance of about 10 million kilometers (6 million miles), on Dec. 30, 2000. The Red Spot region has changed in one notable way over the years: In images from NASA's Voyager and Galileo spacecraft, the area surrounding the Red Spot is dark, indicating relatively cloud-free conditions. Now, some bright white ammonia clouds have filled in the clearings. This appears to be part of a general brightening of Jupiter's cloud features during the past two decades. Jupiter has four large moons and an array of tiny ones. In this picture, Io is visible. The white and reddish colors on Io's surface are due to the presence of different sulfurous materials while the black areas are due to silicate rocks. Like the other large moons, Io always keeps the same hemisphere facing Jupiter, called the sub-Jupiter hemisphere. The opposite side, much of which we see here, is the anti-Jupiter hemisphere. Io has more than 100 active volcanoes spewing very hot lava and giant plumes of gas and dust. Its biggest plume, Pele, is near the bottom left edge of Io's disk as seen here.

The Cassini spacecraft captured Jupiter's Great Red Spot and the volcanic moon Io (L) in this color composite image taken during its flyby from a distance of 17.8 million miles (28.6 million kilometers) in 2000.

Slide 53 of 86: F365237 01: Billions of old stars cause the diffuse glow of the extended central bulge in the Sombrero Galaxy, in this photo taken February 22, 2000. Even with a small telescope pointed toward the constellation of Virgo, light that is 50 million years old can be seen emanating from the distant galaxy. The very center of the Sombrero glows across the electromagnetic spectrum, and is thought to house a large black hole. (Courtesy of NASA)

The Sombrero galaxy, located some 30 million light-years away, is seen in this NASA image taken Feb. 22, 2000.

Slide 52 of 86: 396536 01: This the European Space Agency photgraph released October 25, 2001 shows a supermassive black hole in the core of galaxy named MCG-6-30-15 as seen through the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) satellite. With this type of imaging, scientists for the first time have seen energy being extracted from a black hole. Like an electric dynamo, this black hole spins and pumps energy out through cable-like magnetic field lines into the chaotic gas whipping around it, making the gas - already infernally hot from the sheer force of crushing gravity - even hotter. (Photo by ESA/Getty Images)

This ESA photograph released on Oct. 25, 2001, shows a supermassive black hole in the core of galaxy named MCG-6-30-15 as seen through the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) satellite. With this type of imaging, scientists for the first time saw energy being extracted from a black hole.

Slide 51 of 86: 385221 01: A Hubble Space Telescope image released February 1, 2001 of the so-called 'ant nebula' (Menzel 3, or Mz3) reveals the 'ant's' body as a pair of fiery lobes protruding from a dying star. The Hubble images directly challenge old ideas about the last stages in the lives of stars. By observing Sun-like stars as they approach their deaths, the Hubble Heritage image of Mz3, along with pictures of other planetary nebulae, shows that our Sun's fate probably will be more interesting, complex, and striking than astronomers imagined just a few years ago. (Photo by NASA/Newsmakers)

A picture of the celestial object called the Ant Nebula (a dying star) released by Hubble Space Telescope on Feb. 1, 2001.

Slide 50 of 86: 386160 01: An image produced by the Hubble telescope of the perfectly 'edge-on' galaxy, or NGC 4013 , March 1, 2001. This new Hubble picture reveals, with great detail, huge clouds of dust and gas extending along, as well as far above, the galaxy's main disk. NGC 4013 is a spiral galaxy, similar to the Milky Way, lying some 55 million light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major. Viewed face-on, it would look like a nearly circular pinwheel, but NGC 4013 happens to be seen edge-on from our vantage point. Even at 55 million light-years, the galaxy is larger than Hubble's field of view, and the image shows only a little more than half of the object, albeit with unprecedented detail. (Photo Courtesy of NASA/Newsmakers)

An image of the galaxy NGC 4013, located some 55 million light-years from Earth, taken by Hubble Space Telescope on March 1, 2001.

Slide 49 of 86: Resembling a nightmarish beast rearing its head from a crimson sea, this monstrous object is actually an innocuous pillar of gas and dust. Called the Cone Nebula (NGC 2264) ? so named because, in ground-based images, it has a conical shape ? this giant pillar resides in a turbulent star-forming region. This picture, taken by the newly installed Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, shows the upper 2.5 light-years of the nebula, a height that equals 23 million roundtrips to the Moon. The entire nebula is 7 light-years long. The Cone Nebula resides 2,500 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros (Photo by NASA/WireImage) *** Local Caption ***

The Cone Nebula in an image taken by the new Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard Hubble Space Telescope in 2002.

Slide 48 of 86: On July 1, 2004, NASA's Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn, marking the end of the spacecraft's nearly seven-year journey through the solar system as well as the beginning of its tour of Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetosphere. This image, taken on June 30, 2004 during Cassini's orbital insertion at Saturn, shows, from left to right, the outer portion of the C ring and inner portion of the B ring. The B ring begins a little more than halfway across the image. The general pattern is from "dirty" particles indicated by red to cleaner ice particles shown in turquoise in the outer parts of the rings. The ring system begins from the inside out with the D, C, B and A rings followed by the F, G and E rings. This image was taken with the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph instrument, which is capable of resolving the rings to show features up to 97 kilometers (60 miles) across, roughly 100 times the resolution of ultraviolet data obtained by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Colorado

Saturn's rings are seen in this image taken by Cassini spacecraft on June 30, 2004.

Slide 47 of 86: SPACE, SPACE: Saturn and its rings are prominently shown in this color image released by NASA 19 August, 2004, along with three of Saturn's smaller moons. From L-R they are: Prometheus, Pandora and Janus. Prometheus and Pandora are often called the 'F ring shepherds' as they control and interact with Saturn's interesting F ring, seen between them. This image was taken at a distance of 8.2 million kilometers (5.1 million miles) from Saturn. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. AFP PHOTO/NASA (Photo credit should read HO/AFP/Getty Images)

Saturn and its rings along with three of its moons (L-R) Prometheus, Pandora and Janus are prominently shown in this color image released by NASA’s Cassini aircraft on Aug. 19, 2004.

Slide 46 of 86: IN SPACE - DECEMBER 1: In this handout from NASA, the mosaic image, one of the largest ever taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of the Crab Nebula, shows six-light-year-wide expanding remnant of a star's supernova explosion as released December 2, 2005. Japanese and Chinese astronomers witnessed this violent event nearly 1,000 years ago in 1054, together with, possibly, Native Americans. The orange filaments are the remains of the star and consist mostly of hydrogen. The rapidly spinning neutron star embedded in the center of the nebula is the dynamo powering the nebula's eerie interior bluish glow. The blue light comes from electrons whirling at nearly the speed of light around magnetic field lines from the neutron star. The neutron star, the crushed ultra-dense core of the exploded star, ejects twin beams of radiation that appear to pulse 30 times a second due to the neutron star's rotation. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images)

This mosaic image shows six-light-year-wide expanding remnant of a star's supernova explosion, Crab Nebula, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and released on Dec. 2, 2005.

Slide 45 of 86: SPACE - APRIL 25: In this handout image released from the Hubble Space Telescope the Whirlpool Galaxy is seen , April 25, 2005 released for the Hubble 15th anniversary. Nasa's Space Telescope has obited the Earth for 15 years and has taken more than 700,000 images of the comos. This image is one of the sharpest images Hubble has ever produced, taken with the newest camera. (Photo by Hubble Space Telescope/Nasa via Getty Images)

The Hubble Space Telescope released this image of Whirlpool Galaxy on April 25, 2005.

Slide 44 of 86: With giant Saturn hanging in the blackness and sheltering Cassini from the sun's blinding glare, the spacecraft viewed the rings as never before. This marvelous panoramic view was created by combining a 165 images taken by the Cassini wide-angle camera over nearly three hours on Sept. 15, 2006. The mosaic images were acquired as the spacecraft drifted in the darkness of Saturn's shadow for about 12 hours, allowing a multitude of unique observations of the microscopic particles that comprise Saturn's faint rings. The narrowly confined G ring is easily seen here, outside the bright main rings. Encircling the entire system is the much more extended E ring. The icy plumes of Enceladus, whose eruptions supply the E ring particles, betray the moon's position in the E ring's left side edge. Interior to the G ring and above the brighter main rings is the pale dot of Earth. Cassini views its point of origin from close to a billion miles away in the icy depths of the outer solar system. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

The panoramic view of Saturn and its rings captured by Cassini's wide-angle camera over nearly three hours on Sept. 15, 2006.
Slide 43 of 86: NASA astronaut Robert Curbeam works on the International Space Station's S1 truss during the space shuttle Discovery's STS-116 mission in Dec. 2006. European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang (out of frame) was his partner in the 6-hour, 36-minute spacewalk.

Slide 43 of 86: NASA astronaut Robert Curbeam works on the International Space Station's S1 truss during the space shuttle Discovery's STS-116 mission in Dec. 2006. European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang (out of frame) was his partner in the 6-hour, 36-minute spacewalk.

NASA astronaut Robert Curbeam works on the International Space Station's S1 truss during the space shuttle Discovery's STS-116 mission in December 2006. European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang (out of frame) was his partner in the six-hour, 36-minute spacewalk.

Slide 42 of 86: IN SAPCE - UNDATED: This handout image of the giant, active galaxy NGC 1275, obtained August 21, 2008 was taken using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope?s Advanced Camera for Surveys in July and August 2006. It provides amazing detail and resolution of fragile filamentary structures, which show up as a reddish lacy structure surrounding the central bright galaxy. These filaments are cool despite being surrounded by gas that is around 55 million ?C. They are suspended in a magnetic field which maintains their structure and demonstrates how energy from the supermassive black hole hosted at the centre of the galaxy is transferred to the surrounding gas. (Photo by NASA/ESA via Getty Images)

This image of the giant, active galaxy NGC 1275, released on Aug. 21, 2008, was taken using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys in July and August 2006. It provides amazing detail and resolution of fragile filamentary structures, which show up as a reddish lacy structure surrounding the central bright galaxy.

Slide 41 of 86: IN SPACE - JULY 27: In this image provided by NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team, a planetary nebula named NGC 6302, also known as, Butterfly Nebula and Bug Nebula, in the Scorpius constellation is pictured July 27, 2009 in Space. Today, September 9, 2009, NASA released the first images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope since its repair in the spring. (Photo by NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team via Getty Images)

A planetary nebula named NGC 6302, also known as Butterfly Nebula and Bug Nebula, in the Scorpius constellation is captured on July 27, 2009. The image is provided by NASA, ESA and Hubble Space Telescope.
Slide 40 of 86: A full-disk multiwavelength extreme ultraviolet image of the sun taken by SDO on March 30, 2010. False colors trace different gas temperatures. Reds are relatively cool (about 60,000 Kelvin, or 107,540 F); blues and greens are hotter (greater than 1 million Kelvin, or 1,799,540 F). Credits: NASA/Goddard/SDO AIA Team

Slide 40 of 86: A full-disk multiwavelength extreme ultraviolet image of the sun taken by SDO on March 30, 2010. False colors trace different gas temperatures. Reds are relatively cool (about 60,000 Kelvin, or 107,540 F); blues and greens are hotter (greater than 1 million Kelvin, or 1,799,540 F). Credits: NASA/Goddard/SDO AIA Team

An extreme ultraviolet image of the Sun taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on March 30, 2010.

Slide 39 of 86: UNSPECIFIED, APRIL 23: A new view of the Tarantula Nebula on April 23, 2012. To celebrate its 22nd anniversary in orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope released a dramatic new image of the star-forming region 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula because its glowing filaments resemble spider legs. A new image from all three of NASA's Great Observatories--Chandra, Hubble, and Spitzer--has also been created to mark the event. The nebula is located in the neighboring galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud, and is one of the largest star-forming regions located close to the Milky Way. At the center of 30 Doradus, thousands of massive stars are blowing off material and producing intense radiation along with powerful winds. The Chandra X-ray Observatory detects gas that has been heated to millions of degrees by these stellar winds and also by supernova explosions. These X-rays, colored blue in this composite image, come from shock fronts--similar to sonic booms--formed by this high-energy stellar activity. The Hubble data in the composite image, colored green, reveals the light from these massive stars along with different stages of star birth, including embryonic stars a few thousand years old still wrapped in cocoons of dark gas. Infrared emission data from Spitzer, seen in red, shows cooler gas and dust that have giant bubbles carved into them. These bubbles are sculpted by the same searing radiation and strong winds that comes from the massive stars at the center of 30 Doradus. PHOTOGRAPH BY Barcroft Media /Barcoft Media via Getty Images

A composite view of Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy taken by Hubble Space Telescope on April 23, 2012.
Slide 38 of 86: Handout image courtesy of NASA shows the planet Venus at the start of its transit of the Sun, June 5, 2012. One of the rarest astronomical events occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday when Venus passes directly between the sun and Earth, a transit that won't occur again until 2117.

Slide 38 of 86: Handout image courtesy of NASA shows the planet Venus at the start of its transit of the Sun, June 5, 2012. One of the rarest astronomical events occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday when Venus passes directly between the sun and Earth, a transit that won't occur again until 2117.

The planet Venus at the start of its transit of the Sun on June 5, 2012.

Slide 37 of 86: IN SPACE - NOVEMBER 27, 2012: In this handout image released on April 30, 2013 by NASA, the spinning vortex of Saturn's north polar storm is seen from NASA's Cassini spacecraft on November 27, 2012 in the Saturnian system of space. The false-color image of the storm resembles a red rose surrounded by green foliage which was made by using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of near-infrared light at a distance of approximately 261,000 miles from Saturn. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images)

The spinning vortex of Saturn's north polar storm is seen from Cassini spacecraft on Nov. 27, 2012. The photo released by NASA was taken from a distance of approximately 261,000 miles (420,038 kilometers) from Saturn.
Slide 36 of 86: IN SPACE - DECEMBER 31: In this handout from NASA, a solar eruption rises above the surface of the sun December 31, 2012 in space. According to NASA the relatively minor eruption extended 160,000 miles out from the Sun and was about 20 times the diameter of Earth. (Photo by NASA/SDO via Getty Images)

Slide 36 of 86: IN SPACE - DECEMBER 31: In this handout from NASA, a solar eruption rises above the surface of the sun December 31, 2012 in space. According to NASA the relatively minor eruption extended 160,000 miles out from the Sun and was about 20 times the diameter of Earth. (Photo by NASA/SDO via Getty Images)

A solar eruption rises above the surface of the sun on Dec. 31, 2012.

Slide 35 of 86: 50 Years of the European Southern Observatory A deep look at the strange galaxy Centaurus A May 2012

A deep look at the galaxy Centaurus A in May 2012.

Slide 34 of 86: The ring-like swirls of dust filling the Andromeda galaxy stand out colorfully in this new image from the Herschel Space Observatory, a European Space Agency mission with important NASA participation. The glow seen here comes from the longer-wavelength, or far, end of the infrared spectrum, giving astronomers the chance to identify the very coldest dust in our galactic neighbor

The ring-like swirls of dust filling the Andromeda galaxy stand out colorfully in this image from the Herschel Space Observatory on Jan. 29, 2013.

Slide 33 of 86: Like a drop of dew hanging on a leaf, Tethys appears to be stuck to the A and F rings from this perspective. Tethys (660 miles, or 1,062 kilometers across), like the ring particles, is composed primarily of ice. The gap in the A ring through which Tethys is visible is the Keeler gap, which is kept clear by the small moon Daphnis (not visible here). This view looks toward the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Tethys. North on Tethys is up and rotated 43 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 14, 2014. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.1 million miles (1.8 million kilometers) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 22 degrees. Image scale is 7 miles (11 kilometers) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://www.nasa.gov/cassini and http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Tethys, one of Saturn's moons, is seen from a distance of approximately 1.1 million miles (1.8 million kilometers) from the Cassini spacecraft on July 14, 2014.

Slide 32 of 86: IN SPACE - SEPTEMBER 9: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) In this handout photo provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) on September 9, 2014, German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst took this image of an aurora as he circled Earth whilst aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Gerst returned to earth on November 10, 2014 after spending six months on the International Space Station completing an extensive scientific programme, known as the 'Blue Dot' mission (after astronomer Carl Sagan's description of Earth, as seen on a photograph taken by the Voyager probe from six billion kilometres away). (Photo by Alexander Gerst / ESA via Getty Images)

German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst took this image of an aurora as he circled Earth while aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on Sept. 9, 2014.

Slide 31 of 86: IN SPACE - JULY 14: In this handout provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Pluto nearly fills the frame in this image from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) aboard NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, taken on July 13, 2015, when the spacecraft was 476,000 miles (768,000 kilometers) from the surface. This is the last and most detailed image sent to Earth before the spacecraft's closest approach to Pluto. New Horizons spacecraft is nearing its July 14 fly-by when it will close to a distance of about 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers). The 1,050-pound piano sized probe, which was launched January 19, 2006 aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is traveling 30,800 mph as it approaches. (Photo by NASA/APL/SwRI via Getty Images)

An image of Pluto by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby on July 13, 2015, taken from a distance of 476,000 miles (766,000 kilometers) from the surface.

Slide 30 of 86: CAPTION: IN SPACE - In this handout provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a satellite image shows the far side of the moon as it crosses between the DSCOVR spacecraft and the Earth, at one million miles away,.released August 5, 2015. The image ias one of a series that NASA has turned into an animation of the moon passing by the Earth. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images)

A satellite image shows the far side of the moon as it crosses between the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft and the Earth. The image was released on Aug. 5, 2015.

Slide 29 of 86: HALE CRATER, MARS - UNSPECIFIED DATE: In this handout provided by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars. These dark features on the slopes are called 'recurring slope lineae' or RSL. Scientists reported on September 28, 2015 using observations with the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer on the same orbiter detected hydrated salts on these slopes at Hale Crater, corroborating the hypothesis that the streaks are formed by briny liquid water. (Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona via Getty Images)

An undated image of Hale Crater taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Scientists reported on Sept. 28, 2015, that the narrow streaks on the slopes could have been formed by saline water.

Slide 28 of 86: The rippled surface of the first Martian sand dune ever studied up close fills this view of "High Dune" from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity rover. This site is part of the "Bagnold Dunes" field along the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp. The dunes are active, migrating up to about one yard or meter per year. The component images of this mosaic view were taken on Nov. 27, 2015, during the 1,176th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. The scene is presented with a color adjustment that approximates white balancing, to resemble how the sand would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth. Figure A includes superimposed scale bars of 30 centimeters (1 foot) in the foreground and 100 centimeters (3.3 feet) in the middle distance. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates the rover's Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover. For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

An image of the Martian rippled surface called Bagnold Dunes, taken by NASA's Curiosity rover on Nov. 27, 2015.

Slide 27 of 86: This view from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) in NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows a hillside outcrop with layered rocks within the "Murray Buttes" region on lower Mount Sharp. The buttes and mesas rising above the surface in this area are eroded remnants of ancient sandstone that originated when winds deposited sand after lower Mount Sharp had formed. Curiosity closely examined that layer -- called the "Stimson formation" -- during the first half of 2016, while crossing a feature called "Naukluft Plateau" between two exposures of the Murray formation. The layering within the sandstone is called "cross-bedding" and indicates that the sandstone was deposited by wind as migrating sand dunes. The image was taken on Sept. 8, 2016, during the 1454th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars.

A view of the hillside outcrop with layered rocks in the Murray Buttes region on Mars taken by NASA's Curiosity rover on Sept. 8, 2016.

Slide 26 of 86: A composite image released by NASA on January 5, 2017 contains X-rays from Chandra (blue), radio emission from the GMRT (red), and optical data from Subaru (red, green, and blue) of the colliding galaxy clusters called Abell 3411 and Abell 3412. These and other telescopes were used to analyze how the combination of these two powerful phenomena can create an extraordinary cosmic particle accelerator. NASA/Chandra X-ray Observatory/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

A composite image, released by NASA on Jan. 5, 2017, contains X-rays from Chandra (blue), radio emission from the GMRT (red), and optical data from Subaru (red, green, and blue) of the colliding galaxy clusters called Abell 3411 and Abell 3412.

Slide 25 of 86: The Calabash Nebula in an image released by NASA on February 3, 2017. The Calabash Nebula is an example of the death of a low-mass star. This image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the star transforming from a red giant to a planetary nebula, as it blows gas and dust out into the surrounding space. NASA/ESA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

The Calabash Nebula in an image released by NASA on Feb. 3, 2017. Taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, it shows the star transforming from a red giant to a planetary nebula, as it blows gas and dust out into the surrounding space.
Slide 24 of 86: A view of Saturn's moon Dione released by NASA on February 21, 2017, looking toward the Saturn-facing side of Dione. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Nov. 26, 2016 using a spectral filter which preferentially admits wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 727 nanometer

Slide 24 of 86: A view of Saturn's moon Dione released by NASA on February 21, 2017, looking toward the Saturn-facing side of Dione. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Nov. 26, 2016 using a spectral filter which preferentially admits wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 727 nanometer

A view of Saturn’s moon Dione released by NASA on Feb. 21, 2017.

Slide 23 of 86: A view of the surface of Mars released by NASA on March 7, 2017, shows viscous, lobate flow features commonly found at the bases of slopes in the mid-latitudes of Mars, and are often associated with gullies. These are bound by ridges that resemble terrestrial moraines, suggesting that these deposits are ice-rich, or may have been ice-rich in the past. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

A view of the surface of Mars released by NASA on March 7, 2017, shows viscous, lobate flow features commonly found at the bases of slopes in the mid-latitudes of the planet.
Slide 22 of 86: A composite image released by NASA on April 12, 2017 showing the full western hemisphere at night. This map of night lights is based on imagery from 2016. NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Rom‡n,

Slide 22 of 86: A composite image released by NASA on April 12, 2017 showing the full western hemisphere at night. This map of night lights is based on imagery from 2016. NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Rom‡n,

A composite image released by NASA on April 12, 2017, showing the Earth's full western hemisphere at night. This map of night lights is based on imagery from 2016.
Slide 21 of 86: An image acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on April 18, 2017, shows a rugged cliff edge. Image released June 22, 2017. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/Handout via REUTERS

Slide 21 of 86: An image acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on April 18, 2017, shows a rugged cliff edge. Image released June 22, 2017. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/Handout via REUTERS

An image acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on April 18, 2017, shows a rugged cliff edge on Mars. The image was released on June 22.
Slide 20 of 86: This composite image of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant, was assembled by combining data from five telescopes spanning nearly the entire breadth of the electromagnetic spectrum: the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, the XMM-Newton Observatory, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Photo released on May 10.

Slide 20 of 86: This composite image of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant, was assembled by combining data from five telescopes spanning nearly the entire breadth of the electromagnetic spectrum: the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, the XMM-Newton Observatory, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Photo released on May 10.

This composite image of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant, was assembled by combining data from five telescopes spanning nearly the entire breadth of the electromagnetic spectrum: the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, the XMM-Newton Observatory, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The photo was released on May 10, 2017.

Slide 19 of 86: An image taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows spring in the Northern hemisphere on May 21, 2017. Snow and ice made of carbon dioxide, or dry ice, covers the dunes. When the sun shines in the spring, the ice cracks and escaping gas carries dark sand out from the dune below. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

An image taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows spring in the northern hemisphere of the planet on May 21, 2017.

Slide 18 of 86: A late summer view of the Southern hemisphere of Mars seen in this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter released on June 2. Shallow pits are seen in the bright residual cap of carbon dioxide ice. There is also a deeper, circular formation that penetrates through the ice and dust, possibly an impact crater or a collapse pit.

Slide 18 of 86: A late summer view of the Southern hemisphere of Mars seen in this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter released on June 2. Shallow pits are seen in the bright residual cap of carbon dioxide ice. There is also a deeper, circular formation that penetrates through the ice and dust, possibly an impact crater or a collapse pit.

A late summer view of the southern hemisphere of Mars is seen in this image taken from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and released on June 2, 2017. Shallow pits are seen in the bright residual cap of carbon dioxide ice. There is also a deeper, circular formation that penetrates through the ice and dust, possibly an impact crater or a collapse pit.
Slide 17 of 86: The SpaceX Dragon capsule reentered Earth's atmosphere before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California on July 3, in this photograph by NASA astronaut Jack Fischer.

Slide 17 of 86: The SpaceX Dragon capsule reentered Earth's atmosphere before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California on July 3, in this photograph by NASA astronaut Jack Fischer.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule re-entered Earth's atmosphere before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California, Mexico, on July 3, 2017, in this photograph by NASA astronaut Jack Fischer.
Slide 16 of 86: On July 5, 2017, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory watched an active region — an area of intense and complex magnetic fields — rotate into view on the Sun. The satellite continued to track the region as it grew and eventually rotated across the Sun and out of view on July 17.

Slide 16 of 86: On July 5, 2017, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory watched an active region — an area of intense and complex magnetic fields — rotate into view on the Sun. The satellite continued to track the region as it grew and eventually rotated across the Sun and out of view on July 17.

An image showing an area of active magnetic fields on the sun, captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on July 5, 2017.
Slide 15 of 86: Jupiter's Great Red Spot fades from view while the dynamic bands of the southern region of Jupiter come into focus, in this image taken on July 10 from the JunoCam imager on NASA's Juno spacecraft. North is to the left of the image, and south is on the right.

Slide 15 of 86: Jupiter's Great Red Spot fades from view while the dynamic bands of the southern region of Jupiter come into focus, in this image taken on July 10 from the JunoCam imager on NASA's Juno spacecraft. North is to the left of the image, and south is on the right.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot fades from view while the dynamic bands of the southern region come into focus, in this image taken on July 10, 2017, from the JunoCam imager on NASA's Juno spacecraft. North is to the left of the image, and south is on the right.
Slide 14 of 86: A medium-sized (M2) solar flare and a coronal mass ejection (CME) erupting from the same, large active region of the Sun on July 14, 2017. The flare lasted almost two hours. Images were taken in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light, and released July 19, 2017. NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics Observatory/Handout via REUTERS

Slide 14 of 86: A medium-sized (M2) solar flare and a coronal mass ejection (CME) erupting from the same, large active region of the Sun on July 14, 2017. The flare lasted almost two hours. Images were taken in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light, and released July 19, 2017. NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics Observatory/Handout via REUTERS

A medium-sized solar flare and a coronal mass ejection erupting from the same large active region of the sun on July 14, 2017.
Slide 13 of 86: Star Party 2017 in Bago, Myanmar - 24 Dec 2017 A picture taken with a telescope shows the Orion Nebula as seen in the sky at the Hanthawaddy golf course in Bago, Myanmar, 24 December 2017. The Myanmar Astronomy and Science Enthusiasts (MASES) group arranged the Star Party 2017 to educate, promote and develop astronomy in the country. 24 Dec 2017

Slide 13 of 86: Star Party 2017 in Bago, Myanmar - 24 Dec 2017 A picture taken with a telescope shows the Orion Nebula as seen in the sky at the Hanthawaddy golf course in Bago, Myanmar, 24 December 2017. The Myanmar Astronomy and Science Enthusiasts (MASES) group arranged the Star Party 2017 to educate, promote and develop astronomy in the country. 24 Dec 2017

A picture taken with a telescope shows the Orion Nebula in the sky over the Hanthawaddy golf course in Bago, Myanmar, on Dec. 24, 2017.
Slide 12 of 86: The moon rises in this photo taken in low Earth orbit by NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik from the International Space Station on August 3, 2017. NASA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

Slide 12 of 86: The moon rises in this photo taken in low Earth orbit by NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik from the International Space Station on August 3, 2017. NASA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

The moon rises in this photo, taken in low Earth orbit by NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik from the International Space Station on Aug. 3, 2017.
Slide 11 of 86: The dwarf galaxy named NGC 5949 is seen in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. Image released on August 11.

Slide 11 of 86: The dwarf galaxy named NGC 5949 is seen in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. Image released on August 11.

The dwarf galaxy named NGC 5949 is seen in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image released on Aug. 11, 2017.
Slide 10 of 86: The Aug. 21, 2017, total solar eclipse was rare in its long, uninterrupted path over land, which provided scientists with a rare chance to investigate the Sun and its influence on Earth in ways that aren’t usually possible. On Dec. 11, researchers discussed initial findings based on observations gathered during the eclipse.

Slide 10 of 86: The Aug. 21, 2017, total solar eclipse was rare in its long, uninterrupted path over land, which provided scientists with a rare chance to investigate the Sun and its influence on Earth in ways that aren’t usually possible. On Dec. 11, researchers discussed initial findings based on observations gathered during the eclipse.

A total solar eclipse, which provided scientists with a rare chance to investigate the sun and its influence on Earth, as seen on Aug. 21, 2017.
Slide 9 of 86: The diamond ring effect is visible as the moon passes in front of the sun during a total solar eclipse at Big Summit Prairie ranch in Oregon's Ochoco National Forest near the city of Mitchell on August 21, 2017.

Slide 9 of 86: The diamond ring effect is visible as the moon passes in front of the sun during a total solar eclipse at Big Summit Prairie ranch in Oregon's Ochoco National Forest near the city of Mitchell on August 21, 2017.

The diamond ring effect is visible as the moon passes in front of the sun during a total solar eclipse seen from the Big Summit Prairie ranch in Ochoco National Forest near Mitchell, Oregon, U.S., on Aug. 21, 2017.

Slide 8 of 86: A broad hole in the corona was the Sun's dominant feature November 7-9, 2017, as shown in this image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. The hole is easily recognizable as the dark expanse across the top of the Sun and extending down in each side. Coronal holes are magnetically open areas on the Sun that allow high-speed solar wind to gush out into space. They always appear darker in extreme ultraviolet. This one was likely the source of bright aurora that shimmered for numerous observers, with some reaching down even to Nebraska.

Coronal holes on the sun are shown in this image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory during Nov. 7-9, 2017.

Slide 7 of 86: See swirling cloud formations in the northern area of Jupiter's north temperate belt in this new view taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The color-enhanced image was taken on Feb. 7 at 5:42 a.m. PST (8:42 a.m. EST), as Juno performed its eleventh close flyby of Jupiter. At the time the image was taken, the spacecraft was about 5,086 miles (8,186 kilometers) from the tops of the clouds of the planet at a latitude of 39.9 degrees. Citizen scientist Kevin M. Gill processed this image using data from the JunoCam imager.

Swirling cloud formations in the northern area of Jupiter's north temperate belt are seen in this color-enhanced image taken by Juno on Feb. 7, 2018.
Slide 6 of 86: This image captures the swirling cloud formations around the south pole of Jupiter, looking up toward the equatorial region.

Slide 6 of 86: This image captures the swirling cloud formations around the south pole of Jupiter, looking up toward the equatorial region.

This image captures the swirling cloud formations around the south pole of Jupiter, looking up toward the equatorial region. NASA’s Juno spacecraft took the color-enhanced image during its 11th close flyby of the gas giant planet on Feb. 7, 2018.
Slide 5 of 86: The lone active region visible on our Sun put on a fine display with its tangled magnetic field lines swaying and twisting above it (Apr. 24-26, 2018) when viewed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light.

Slide 5 of 86: The lone active region visible on our Sun put on a fine display with its tangled magnetic field lines swaying and twisting above it (Apr. 24-26, 2018) when viewed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light.

The lone active region visible on our Sun put on a fine display with its tangled magnetic field lines swaying and twisting above it (April 24-26, 2018) when viewed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light.
Slide 4 of 86: NASA’s Juno spacecraft took this color-enhanced image at 10:23 p.m. PDT on May 23, 2018 (1:23 a.m. EDT on May 24), as the spacecraft performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter. At the time, Juno was about 9,600 miles (15,500 kilometers) from the planet's cloud tops, above a northern latitude of 56 degrees.

Slide 4 of 86: NASA’s Juno spacecraft took this color-enhanced image at 10:23 p.m. PDT on May 23, 2018 (1:23 a.m. EDT on May 24), as the spacecraft performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter. At the time, Juno was about 9,600 miles (15,500 kilometers) from the planet's cloud tops, above a northern latitude of 56 degrees.

Swirling cloud belts and tumultuous vortices within Jupiter’s northern hemisphere are shown in this image from Juno spacecraft on May 23, 2018.
Slide 3 of 86: The color-enhanced image was taken at 11:31 p.m. PDT on May 23, 2018 (2:31 a.m. EDT on May 24), as the spacecraft performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter. At the time, Juno was about 44,300 miles (71,400 kilometers) from the planet's cloud tops, above a southern latitude of 71 degrees.

Slide 3 of 86: The color-enhanced image was taken at 11:31 p.m. PDT on May 23, 2018 (2:31 a.m. EDT on May 24), as the spacecraft performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter. At the time, Juno was about 44,300 miles (71,400 kilometers) from the planet's cloud tops, above a southern latitude of 71 degrees.

The color-enhanced image was taken on May 23, 2018, as NASA's Juno spacecraft performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter.

Slide 2 of 86: The first image ever produced of a black hole, taken by the Event Horizon Telescope on April 10, 2019 as observed at the center of Messier 87 in the Virgo galaxy cluster. The telescope was designed specifically to capture images of black holes, through a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes around the world.

The first image ever produced of a black hole, taken by the Event Horizon Telescope on April 10, 2019 and observed at the center of Messier 87 in the Virgo galaxy cluster. The telescope was designed specifically to capture images of black holes, through a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes around the world.
Slide 1 of 86: CAPTION: This photo provided by NASA astronaut Christina Koch shows the launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket, as seen from the International Space Station, during its approach on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019. (Christina Koch/NASA via AP)

Slide 1 of 86: CAPTION: This photo provided by NASA astronaut Christina Koch shows the launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket, as seen from the International Space Station, during its approach on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019. (Christina Koch/NASA via AP)

This image by NASA astronaut Christina Koch shows the launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket, as seen from the International Space Station, during its approach on Sept. 25, 2019.

I think we can agree that the verse quoted at the start is true! (Unless you're a Flat Earther, and deny the glory of the heavens.)

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