Browse Archive

  • Andromeda Galaxy Stars

    Our Neighbor Andromeda

    The immense Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 or simply M31, is captured in full in this new image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.

  • Comet Siding Spring

    Visitor from Deep Space

    Comet Siding Spring appears to streak across the sky like a superhero in this new infrared image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.

  • Comet Siding Spring-broadcast.mov (and .m4v)

    Ablaze with Infrared Light

    Is it a bird, or a plane? No, it's comet Siding Spring streaking across the sky, as seen by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.

  • Fornax Cluster

    Fornax Galaxy Cluster

    This image of a dense cluster of galaxies was captured by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.

  • Andromeda Galaxy Stars

    Warped Andromeda

    This image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, highlights the Andromeda galaxy's older stellar population in blue.

  • Andromeda Galaxy Dust

    The Dirt on Andromeda

    This image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, highlights the dust that speckles the Andromeda galaxy's spiral arms.

  • WISE's first comet

    First Comet Seen by WISE

    The red smudge at the center of this picture is the first comet discovered by NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.

  • near-Earth asteroid discovered by NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer

    First of Many Asteroid Finds

    The red dot at the center of this image is the first near-Earth asteroid discovered by NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE .

  • Infrared snapshot of a region in the constellation Carina near the Milky Way taken shortly after NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) ejected its cover.

    WISE 'First-Light' Image

    This infrared snapshot of a region in the constellation Carina near the Milky Way was taken shortly after NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) ejected its cover.

  • Brown dwarf comparison

    Brown Dwarf Comparison

    This diagram shows a brown dwarf in relation to Earth, Jupiter, a low-mass star and the sun.

  • Simulated side-by-side images showing stars and brown dwarfs

    New Cool Stars

    Astronomers think there are roughly as many brown dwarfs as regular stars like our sun, but brown dwarfs are often too cool to find using visible light.

  • WISE spacecraft in clean room

    WISE Spacecraft in Clean Room

    The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, in the clean room at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colo.

  • An engineer loads hydrogen gas into the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, in a clean room at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

    Freezing Hydrogen

    An engineer loads hydrogen gas into the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, in a clean room at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

  • This infrared image of Ned Wright.

    InfraNed

    This infrared image of Ned Wright, WISE principal investigator at UCLA, shows heat, with warm objects appearing brighter than cool ones.

  • This infrared view of the whole sky highlights the flat plane of our Milky Way galaxy.

    All-Sky Infrared Survey

    This infrared view of the whole sky highlights the flat plane of our Milky Way galaxy (line across middle of image).

  • The image on the left shows an infrared view of the center of our Milky Way galaxy as seen by the 1983 Infrared Astronomical Satellite.

    The Next Generation of Infrared Views

    The image on the left shows an infrared view of the center of our Milky Way galaxy as seen by the 1983 Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), which surveyed the whole sky with only 62 pixels.

  • Bird's eye view of our asteroid belt

    Asteroid Belt Bird's Eye View

    This diagram shows a bird's eye view of our asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars (red) and Jupiter (purple).

  • Artist's concept of WISE mapping the infrared sky

    Mapping the Infrared Sky

    This artist's conception shows NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, mapping the whole sky in infrared.

  • Some say the science instrument on NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, mission resembles the Star Wars robot R2-D2. The instrument is enclosed in a solid-hydrogen cryostat, which cools the WISE telescope and detectors.

    A Robot or a Science Instrument?

    This image shows the bottle-like tank that houses the science instrument on NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, mission (some say it resembles the Star Wars robot R2-D2).

  • The science instrument on the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, is shown here with its aperture cover removed, during assembly at the Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah.

    A Look Inside WISE

    The telescope on the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, is shown here with the aperture cover removed.