These 6 NASA images capture the beauty of the Universe of galaxies | See Pics

 Our planet Earth is part of a solar system located in the Milky Way Galaxy. Many other galaxies are situated millions of light years away from our home. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has shared several images of our neighbouring galaxies and those located far beyond our reach.

Catch a glimpse of a few galaxies out of one hundred billion galaxies in our Universe with these NASA images.

NASA images of galaxies

The image captures the spiral arms of the nearby galaxy Messier 81

The image of nearby galaxy Messier 81 was captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The galaxy is located in the northern constellation of Ursa Major (which also includes the Big Dipper). Skygazers who wish to enjoy the sight of this galaxy can spot this neighbour with the help of binoculars or a small telescope. 

M81 is located at a distance of 12 million light-years. It was one of the first publicly released datasets soon after Spitzer's launch in August 2003. 

Centuraus A, also known as NGC 5128 or Caldwell 77, is a galaxy located in constellation of Cenaurus.© Provided by Live Mint

The image was formed with the help of the data collected by the European Southern Observatory and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Thousands of lines shown in the image are the magnetic fields observed by NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). These magnetic fields are shown as streamlines over an image of the galaxy taken at visible and submillimeter wavelengths by the European Southern Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (orange).

Cartwheel Galaxy© Provided by Live Mint

The spectacular image of Cartwheel Galaxy is the result of intricate details captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. The image reveals star formation and the galaxy’s central black hole. Webb’s powerful infrared gaze produced this detailed image of the Cartwheel and two smaller companion galaxies against a backdrop of many other galaxies.

View of neighbouring spiral galaxy Andromeda, also called M31,

The NASA image unveils a spectacular view of the neighbouring spiral galaxy Andromeda, also known as M31, in ultraviolet light. Scientists have formed this image with the inputs of 330 images from Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. Some 20,000 ultraviolet sources are visible in the image, including M32, a small galaxy in orbit around M31.

The view of field of galaxies known as Cosmos field.coloured dots are galaxies that host black holes emitting lower-energy X-rays. 

Galactic Chaos: Our neighbouring galaxy is falling apart, scientists warn

 

Galactic Chaos: Our neighbouring galaxy is falling apart, scientists warn

Sometimes, even galaxies close to us face hard times. A quiet neighbour of the Milky Way, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), appears to be falling apart. And scientists say they didn’t see it coming.

Pulled by Its Larger Companion, the LMC

The SMC is about 200,000 light-years from Earth. It’s a dwarf galaxy that orbits our Milky Way galaxy. But it now seems to be in real trouble. According to a new study published on April 10 in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, another galaxy may be to blame.

Researchers believe the SMC is being pulled by the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The LMC is SMC’s much bigger companion. The team says this gravitational tug could be slowly tearing the SMC apart.

Lead researcher Kengo Tachihara from Nagoya University, Japan, admitted their surprise. “At first, we thought our data had some error,” he said. “But when we looked again, the results were very clear.”

Stars Moving in Strange Directions

The team studied data from ESA’s retired Gaia spacecraft. They discovered that stars in the SMC were moving in opposite directions. “It’s as if something is pulling them apart,” Mr Tachihara explained.

Some stars were heading toward the LMC. Others were moving away from it. This suggests that the SMC might be slowly losing its shape. The researchers believe the LMC’s strong pull could be the reason.

That wasn’t the only surprise. The study found something else unusual. The large stars within the SMC are not rotating as expected. Normally, stars rotate around a galaxy’s centre. But in this case, that rotation seems to be missing.

What It Means for Our Galaxy’s History

The lack of rotation could affect what we know about the SMC. Mr Tachihara said it may change past calculations of galactic movements. This includes the history of the Milky Way, the SMC and the LMC.

“If there is no rotation, our models need revising,” he explained. It could mean we’ve misunderstood the SMC’s mass or past collisions.

The SMC and LMC are part of a group of about 30 nearby galaxies. The SMC is only 7,000 light-years wide, while the Milky Way spans 100,000 light-years. The SMC completes an orbit around the Milky Way every 1.5 billion years.

Despite its size, the SMC is very bright. It’s even visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere. Because of this, it gives scientists a rare chance to study galaxy behaviour.

Learning from a Neighbour We Can See

“We cannot see the Milky Way from the outside,” Mr Tachihara said. “But we can study nearby galaxies like the SMC and LMC in detail.”

He added that this study helps connect star formation with stellar motion. Watching these galaxies closely offers clues about how stars behave across time.

The SMC’s slow tearing apart may not be fast or dramatic. But it offers a deep insight into the life of galaxies. Even those in our own corner of the cosmos are not safe from change.

Hubble shares a beautiful new image of stunning star birth in a nearby galaxy

 Some images make you stop and wonder. As the Hubble Space Telescope marks 35 years in space, one such image of a vibrant star nursery has re-emerged with breathtaking clarity. The European Space Agency (ESA) has released a fresh look at the young star cluster NGC 346, combining old favourites with new data and better processing.

NGC 346 sits inside the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. Located nearly 200,000 light-years away, it lies in the constellation Tucana. The Small Magellanic Cloud has fewer metals than our galaxy. That means conditions there are similar to the early universe.

Hubble's ultraviolet, optical, and infrared perspectives are all combined in the new image. It depicts more than 2,500 new stars developing in this crowded area. Among them are enormous stars that shine a brilliant blue glow and are far heavier than our Sun. Dark dust streaks and brilliant pink clouds create beautiful forms all around them.  These are sculpted by the cluster’s strongest stars.

This dazzl

The stars here are shaping their surroundings. Their powerful winds and radiation are carving a bubble into the nearby nebula. That glowing cloud is named N66 and is the brightest H II region in the Small Magellanic Cloud. H II regions glow from the energy of young, hot stars. However, after just a few million years, their brightness fades.

New facets of this story have been made visible by Hubble. Scientists now have a better understanding of how stars form in far-flung regions of the universe because of its long-term mission. And the scene becomes even more breathtaking with each successive glance.ing NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the young star cluster NGC 346. (Image: NASA)

This dazzling NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the young star cluster NGC 346. (Image: NASA)

Hubble’s sharp vision helped scientists track star movement. Researchers studied two sets of data taken 11 years apart. They found that many stars are spiralling towards the cluster’s centre. A gas stream from outside fuels star birth there, creating a whirlpool-like effect.

Scientists discover four Earth-like planets orbiting Barnard's Star

 

Scientists discover four Earth-like planets orbiting Barnard's Star

In the first for the exoplanetary community, scientists have announced four new small Earth-like planets around Barnard's Star, just six light-years from our world. The four planets are all smaller than Earth but share one thing in common: all of them are rocky, similar to Earth.

The discovery of these four tiny, terrestrial planets surrounding Barnard's Star is a significant leap for exoplanetary science and the search for life beyond Earth in the universe. While these planets are not able to sustain life due to the adversarial conditions there, they are indicative of the types of planets that exist within our galactic community and what possibilities exist for life in the galaxy. With our technology and knowledge improving, finds like this bring us one step closer to solving the ancient enigma: Are we alone in the universe?

Four Earth-like planets discovered orbiting Barnard's star

Barnard's Star is a red dwarf and our closest single star to Earth, other than the stars of the Alpha Centauri system. Due to its proximity, it is a first option for study by astronomers since planets orbiting around it may hold the key to conditions in our universe.

The planets near Barnard's Star are interesting in the sense that they are quite similar to the Earth, especially in terms of their composition. This does make them very attractive to scientists even though they are small compared to the Earth.

Smallest exoplanets detected via radial velocity method

The planets, b, c, d, and e, are extremely small with a mass that is 20% to 30% as massive as that of the Earth. The planets are the smallest ones yet to be found by the radial velocity technique, which is to say that the astronomers take measurements of the "wobble" or the gravitational tug a planet exerts on a star. The method allows researchers to infer the presence of planets from observations of very slight movements of the star produced by gravitational pulls of the planets when moving in circles around the star.

Advanced technology enables detection of small exoplanets

Advanced astronomical equipment facilitated the discovery. Two basic technologies were crucial: the MAROON-X instrument on the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii and the ESPRESSO spectrograph on Chile's Very Large Telescope. These technologies enabled researchers to measure very small variations in the light being emitted by Barnard's Star. These result from the gravitational forces provided by the planets, although these signals are far too weak and easily drowned out with noise by their respective stars.

Rocky planets near Barnard's Star are too hot for life but vital for scientific study

The planets revolve around Barnard's Star in closely grouped radii. The inner planet takes more than two days to orbit, and the outer planet seven days to circulate around it. This would lead one to assume that the worlds are highly likely to be too hot to harbor life since they are much closer to their star compared to how close Earth is to the Sun.

This is not the sole reason, though. Their rocky composition (similar to that of the Earth) is a significant factor to consider. Rocky planets are also crucial in the quest for life beyond Earth in the universe since if circumstances are right, they will harbor life, if any.

Barnard’s star planets: Understanding habitability in other star systems

Though these planets are not expected to support life because of their closeness to Barnard's Star, they should be taken into account when searching for alien life. Low-mass rocky planets—those that fall within the "habitable zone" of their star (that distance range wherein liquid water could exist)—are good candidates for life. Even though these specific planets themselves do not fall under this categorization, the discovery of these planets contributes to the proof required in the future to be qualified for the pursuit of life elsewhere in the universe beyond our home planet Earth.

The research, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, was conducted by University of Chicago undergraduate Ritvik Basant and an international group of researchers. The discovery is one step toward understanding more about our cosmic neighborhood and hints at the possibility in the future to look for distant planets that may have Earth-like features, for example, having low mass and being rocky.

'World's oldest 3D map' discovered in Paris basin is 13000 years old!

 Throughout history, human beings have been a living examples of intelligence, hard work, and consistency no matter what resources were available to them, may it be the modern man or the early men who lived in the caves. Our early ancestors were far more advanced than we often give them credit for. They were experts at using available resources for survival and developing tools and techniques that laid the foundation for modern civilization. From detailed cave paintings that depicted their daily lives and beliefs to the creation of tools for hunting and gathering, our ancestors were creative and had problem-solving skills.

Recently researchers have unearthed the alleged world’s oldest three-dimensional map, which was hidden within a quartzitic sandstone megaclast, or a big fragment of rock having carvings on it, in the Paris Basin. This came to the limelight from the Ségognole 3 rock shelter, a site that has been known since the 1980s for its artistic engravings of two horses in a Late Palaeolithic style on either side of a female pubic figuration. The latest discoveries show that this site also has a miniature representation of the surrounding landscape, created by Palaeolithic people around 13,000 years ago.

'World's oldest 3D map' discovered in Paris basin is 13000 years old!

The research was led by Dr. Anthony Milnes, from the University of Adelaide, and Dr. Médard Thiry from the Mines Paris-PSL Centre of Geosciences. According to their study, part of the shelter's sandstone floor was shaped and adapted as a representation of the natural water movement in the region and the geomorphology. According to Dr. Milnes, this three-dimensional miniature does not represent a map in the modern sense, with the correct measure of distances and directions, but instead depicts the functioning of a landscape, showcasing runoff from highlands into streams and rivers, the convergence of valleys, and the formation of lakes and swamps downstream.

The study also says that water flow direction and landscape feature identification were likely more fundamental for Paleolithic humans than concepts like time or distance. This study makes us understand that these early forebears actually had the intellectual capacity, imagination, and skill to mold their environment in the manner they thought was necessary according to their needs.

'World's oldest 3D map' discovered in Paris basin is 13000 years old!

Dr. Thiry's observation of the Fontainebleau sandstone showed him that his fine and detailed morphological features were not naturally there in the surroundings. These characteristics could only have been altered by our predecessors, and their purpose (whether illusory or real) was probably to impart specific pathways of water flow while carving a path and guiding the rain along in some specific path for the water course.

This is no less true in defining macrobehavior of water courses setting the course ofwater floww. The hydraulic functions used in the rock shelter bring to light the cognitive intelligence of our ancestors.

The value of the discovery lies in its greater, and probably mythological relationship with water, as the proximity of the two hydraulic installations inside the shelter seems to convey. They stand about two or three meters away from one another and seem to convey a profound knowledge regarding life and nature, which yet remains concealed to us for now.

Published by the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, this study shows the importance of interdisciplinary work. Milnes mentions that the most productive results in research are often found where disciplines intersect. For such reasons, field-based research needs to be reconsidered and done by frequent site visits, followed by new and ever-changing observations and interpretations presented for a lively interdisciplinary discussion.

Before this discovery, The oldest three-dimensional map was a portable rock slab dating back to the Bronze Age around 3,000 years ago, which marked a local river network while some earth mounds also dominated part of it. But now, the concept of mapping out an area seems to distort significantly as the investigation reaches deeper into the past, giving us improved information for better understanding through this relic from paleolithic human beings.

The fact that our ancestors could perceive and manipulate the milieu in this more intelligent manner really proves that they were better than us in terms of the quality of intelligence they had, considering the resources available to them.

China unveils underwater ‘kill switch’ for the internet: How this tech could sever global connectivity

 

China unveils underwater ‘kill switch’ for the internet: How this tech could sever global connectivity

China has taken a bold step in deep-sea engineering, unveiling a device capable of slicing through the world’s most reinforced undersea cables at unprecedented depths. Developed by the China Ship Scientific Research Centre (CSSRC) and the State Key Laboratory of Deep-Sea Manned Vehicles, the tool integrates seamlessly with China’s advanced submersibles, including the Fendouzhe (Striver) and the Haidou series.

For the first time, a country has openly declared possession of such a device—one that can target undersea infrastructure vital to global communication and military operations. These cables transmit 95% of the world’s data, linking continents and ensuring the smooth functioning of financial markets, defence systems, and everyday digital services.

How the Device Works

Traditional underwater cable-cutting techniques struggle against steel-reinforced lines. To overcome this, the Chinese team, led by engineer Hu Haolong, designed a 150mm (six-inch) diamond-coated grinding wheel rotating at 1,600rpm. This mechanism generates enough force to shatter steel while minimising seabed disturbances. The tool is powered by a one-kilowatt motor with an 8:1 gear reducer, ensuring efficient torque distribution, though prolonged use at such depths could lead to overheating.

To function in extreme conditions, the cutter is enclosed in a titanium alloy shell with oil-compensated seals, preventing implosion under the crushing pressure found at 4,000 metres. Operated by robotic arms in near-zero visibility, the device relies on advanced positioning systems for precision.

Potential Military Implications

While officially promoted as a tool for seabed mining and salvage operations, the device’s dual-use nature has sparked concerns in security circles. The ability to stealthily sever undersea cables could give Beijing a strategic advantage in conflicts.

Guam, a key node in the US Indo-Pacific military network, hosts more than a dozen fibre-optic cables serving both military and civilian entities, including Google. If these lines were cut during a geopolitical crisis, it could cripple communications and disrupt global financial systems.

Retired US Air Force Colonel Raymond Powell, founder of the SeaLight maritime transparency project at Stanford University, warned: “China continues to expand its already vast grey zone toolkit, having long ago calculated that its willingness to blur the lines between peace and hostilities provides it with an asymmetric advantage.”

He added, “Cable and pipeline sabotage is more than mere harassment. It is a reminder that Beijing has the ability to cause far more damage to its enemies, should it choose to do so.”

A Broader Pattern of Deep-Sea Expansion

China’s rapid expansion in deep-sea capabilities is evident. The country now operates the world’s largest fleet of crewed and uncrewed submersibles. Just last month, China began construction of an underwater “space station” 2,000 metres below the South China Sea, designed to house six people for month-long missions.

Meanwhile, the US and Japan struggle to keep pace. America’s deep-sea fleet is ageing, and Japan’s only crewed submersible, the Shinkai 6500, is nearing retirement with no successor in sight.

Rising Undersea Security Threats

The debut of this cable-cutter comes as undersea infrastructure faces increasing threats. Since 2023, there have been 11 reported incidents of underwater cable damage in the Baltic Sea, raising suspicions of sabotage. In Taiwan, suspected Chinese interference has escalated—authorities seized the Hong Tai 58 cargo ship, operated by Chinese crew, after it was linked to severed telecom cables.

Taiwanese officials reported five such incidents in 2025 alone, compared to three in both 2023 and 2024. With tensions in the Taiwan Strait already high, the potential for underwater disruption is a growing concern.

Beijing’s Justification

Hu’s research team insists that the cable-cutter is intended for marine resource development, not warfare. In their published paper, they stated: “Nations are now compelled to redirect their resource exploitation focus towards the seas. The 21st century is the century of the oceans. Enhancing marine resource development capabilities, advancing the blue economy and building China into a maritime powerhouse constitute critical components of realising the Chinese dream.”

Yet, the strategic implications cannot be ignored.

What This Means for the Future

China’s deep-sea ambitions are clear. With advanced submersibles, a growing fleet, and now a cable-cutting device, Beijing is positioning itself as the dominant force in undersea operations. Whether for economic gain or strategic leverage, this latest innovation has sent shockwaves through global security circles.

The real question now is: how will other nations respond?

Scientists crack the code, reveal what transported seeds of life to Earth

 

Scientists crack the code, reveal what transported seeds of life to Earth

How did life emerge on Earth? The age-old question has intrigued experts for years and now a study has hinted that rocky guests who visit us frequently might have carried the seeds of life. 

Meteorites likely brought the building blocks of life to the primordial Earth from space, as per new evidence. Scientists are intrigued by the finding as this means that alien life exists somewhere in space.

The study says that these meteorites are the fractured remains of early "unmelted asteroids," a type of planetesimal, small rocky bodies considered the main building blocks of the planets in our solar system.  

They came into existence around 4.6 billion years ago, forming in the disk of dust and gas around a young sun. Several particles swirled around our star which started to stick together eventually, adding more mass and making progressively larger bodies.

A team of researchers worked to determine the origin of Earth's "volatiles" and tracked the chemical element zinc in meteorites. They include six common chemicals vital for living things, including water.

"One of the most fundamental questions on the origin of life is where the materials we need for life to evolve came from," lead author of the study. Rayssa Martins, from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge in England, said in a statement. 

"If we can understand how these materials came to be on Earth, it might give us clues to how life originated here and how it might emerge elsewhere," Martins added.

Where did zinc come from?

The team, including researchers from Cambridge and Imperial College London, decided to look for zinc because when it is formed in meteorites, it has a unique composition that can help understand about the origins of volatiles.

Earlier, the team found that zinc on Earth came from different regions of the solar system. Nearly half of it came from the inner region of the solar system. However, the rest of it likely originated from beyond Jupiter. 

Planetesimals are of different types. Those that formed in the earliest era of the solar system were exposed to high levels of radiation from the infant sun. They lost volatiles through vaporisation because of melting due to the heat. 

However, those that were born later weren't exposed to a lot of radiation, and so were held on to most of the volatiles. The team studied zinc in different meteorites originating from different planetesimals. They traced the arrival of zinc to Earth over tens of millions of years.

They found that melted planetesimals made up for around 70 per cent of our planet's total mass but only delivered about 10 per cent of its zinc content. This meant that 90 per cent of Earth's zinc originated from "unmelted" planetesimals. 

Researchers believe that these unmelted space rocks likely also delivered a lot of volatiles to the forming Earth.

James Webb Telescope captures first-ever images of exoplanet atmospheres containing Carbon Dioxide

 NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the most powerful observatory ever built and it keeps capturing amazing photos of the space that often come as a surprise to celestial enthusiasts and this time it has achieved a new milestone in exoplanet research. This research might help in finding links to the possibility of life beyond the Earth.

The telescope has directly captured images of planets outside our solar systems that contain carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Webb has not only revealed the atmospheric composition of its gas giants but also shed light on their formation process. This has also shown JWST’s unexpected capabilities in unraveling the mysteries of distant worlds. The detection of carbon dioxide, alongside elements such as carbon and oxygen, can give information into how these planets evolved and also increases our understanding of planetary systems beyond our own.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured images of Carbone Dioxide content within the HR 8799 planetary system. Located 130 light-years away, HR 8799 has been a focal point for planetary formation studies. Webb’s observations provide vital information into the composition and formation of its four gas giants, which can be compared to Jupiter and Saturn in our solar system.

The detection of a heavier element like carbon dioxide, suggests that these planets formed through a process called core accretion. In this method, solid cores gradually attract gas from a protoplanetary disk, forming massive gas giants.

According to NASA, “By spotting these strong carbon dioxide features, we have shown there is a sizable fraction of heavier elements, like carbon, oxygen, and iron, in these planets’ atmospheres,” explained William Balmer of Johns Hopkins University, the lead author of the study. These findings not only tell about the accuracy of core formation as a dominant planet formation process but also tell that these planets could be chemically rich in these distant worlds.

James Webb Telescope captures first-ever images of exoplanet atmospheres containing Carbon Dioxide

The James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) helped capture detailed images of planets by showing different colours of light, and showing the differences in their atmospheres. In the HR 8799 system, the closest planet, HR 8799 e, orbits 1.5 billion miles from its star which is similar to the distance between the orbits of Saturn and Neptune in our solar system. The farthest planet, HR 8799 b, orbits 6.3 billion miles away, more than twice Neptune’s distance from the Sun. Apart from this, Webb also studied planets in another system, 51 Eridani, located 97 light-years away.

James Webb Telescope captures first-ever images of exoplanet atmospheres containing Carbon Dioxide

Of the nearly 6,000 exoplanets discovered, only a few of their images have been directly captured due to their faintness compared to their stars. The telescope captured their images by detecting infrared light at specific wavelengths absorbed by gases. Webb found the HR 8799 planets contain more heavy elements like carbon and oxygen than previously thought.

This discovery supports the theory that these planets formed via core accretion, where solid cores attract gas from a protoplanetary disk. According to NASA Laurent Pueyo, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute, said, “We have other lines of evidence that hint at these four HR 8799 planets forming using this bottom-up approach.” Pueyo added, “How common is this for planets we can directly image? We don't know yet, but we're proposing more Webb observations to answer that question.”