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GALAXIES

The Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies are vast cosmic islands of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity. NASA’s space telescopes have revealed intricate details of the shapes, structures, and histories of galaxies — whether alone, as part of small groups, or within immense clusters. From supermassive black holes at galactic centers to giant bursts of star formation to titanic collisions between galaxies, these discoveries allow astronomers to probe the current properties of galaxies as well as examine how they formed and developed over time.

Stephan's Quintet: A Multi-wavelength Exploration

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This visualization explores the galaxy group called Stephan's Quintet using observations in visible, infrared, and X-ray light. The sequence contrasts images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, Webb Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory to provide insights across the electromagnetic spectrum. Read more >

Images of Galaxies on AstroPix

Understanding Galaxies

Interacting Galaxies

Galaxy Evolution

Science Briefings

The NASA’s Universe of Learning Science Briefings are professional learning telecons for the informal science education community. These monthly thematic briefings highlight current NASA astrophysics explorations and discoveries from across the suite of NASA astrophysics missions. NASA scientists and engineers provide contemporary science results, and are able to respond to listener questions during the telecon.

 

Science Briefing

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  1. Science Briefing: Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s

    December 2, 2021 Professional Learning Webinar

    In this briefing, speakers will spotlight where the focus will lie for the U.S. astronomical community in the coming decades. Dr. Rachel Osten will present an overview of the decadal report, particularly ...

  2. Science Briefing: Extreme Speeds in the Universe

    December 7, 2023 Professional Learning Webinar

    In this edition of NASA’s Universe of Learning Science Briefings, we will learn about extreme speeds in the Universe, from the incomprehensibly rapid expansion of the Universe itself to high-speed ...

  3. Science Briefing: Cosmic Dust, from Solar Systems to Galaxies

    March 2, 2023 Professional Learning Webinar

    Please join us for this edition of NASA’s Universe of Learning Science Briefings! We will learn what scientists believe we (and the whole material Universe) are all built of (spoiler: dust) and ...

  4. Science Briefing: Citizen Science: How Your Audience Can Help Astrophysics

    May 11, 2023 Professional Learning Webinar

    In this edition of NASA’s Universe of Learning Science Briefings, you will discover how general public volunteers help different astrophysics programs—from exoplanets to galaxies— and ...