Mosaic of Hubble 35th Anniversary Targets

In celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope’s launch into orbit, astronomers aimed the legendary telescope at a selection of photogenic space targets, stretching from inside our solar system to the nebulae found in interstellar space, to far-flung galaxies. Upper left: The planet Mars as seen in late December 2024 when it was approximately 61 million miles from Earth. Thin water-ice clouds, revealed by Hubble’s unique ultraviolet capability, give the Red Planet a frosty appearance.

Upper right: Planetary nebula NGC 2899. This moth-like nebula is sculpted by the outflow of radiation and stellar winds from a nearly 40,000-degree-Fahrenheit dying star – a white dwarf - at the center.

Lower left: The Rosette Nebula. This is a small portion of the huge star-forming region. Dark clouds of hydrogen gas laced with dust are silhouetted across the image.

Lower right: The galaxy NGC 5335, which is a flocculent spiral galaxy with patchy streamers of star formation across its disk. A notable bar structure slices across the center of the galaxy.