WISE J104915.57-531906, center of the larger image, was taken by the NASA WISE. This is the closest star system discovered since 1916, and the third closest to our sun. It is 6.5 light-years away. NASA/JPL-Calt More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer has uncovered the coldest brown dwarf known so far green dot in very center of this infrared image. WISE 1828+2650 is located in the constellation Lyra. The blue dots ar More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission will survey the entire sky in a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum called the mid-infrared with far greater sensitivity than any previous mission or program More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer arrives at Vandenberg Air Force Base NASA/JPL
Initial assembly of NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer cryostat. The cryostat is a 2-stage solid hydrogen dewar that is used to cool the WISE optics and detectors. Here the cryostat internal structures ar More
At Vandenberg Air Force Base Astrotech processing facility in California, NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, spacecraft is lowered toward the flight conical adapter and test stand. NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, spacecraft sits on the test stand after connection to the conical adapter. NASA/JPL-Caltech
A view of the flexure springs in the soft ride being mated to the payload attach fitting for NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, spacecraft. NASA/JPL-Caltech
View looking down the barrel of NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer telescope. This image shows the 40 cm WISE primary mirror, which is the largest optical element in the WISE system. NASA/JPL-Caltech/L-3 More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, back-end imager optics. This picture shows the imager optics which are mounted at the back of the optical system. NASA/JPL-Caltech/L-3 SSG-Tinsley
This image shows NASA 40 cm diameter Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer telescope. Here the lead optical test engineer attaches the back-end imager optics to the afocal. NASA/JPL-Caltech/L-3 SSG-Tinsley
The science instrument on NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is shown here with its aperture cover removed, during assembly at the Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Dynamics Lab
A scaffolding structure built around NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer allows engineers to freeze its hydrogen coolant. The WISE infrared instrument is kept extremely cold by a bottle-like tank filled wi More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer in the clean room at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colo. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ball
An engineer loads hydrogen gas into the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer in a clean room at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The hydrogen is cooled and frozen inside a Thermos-like bottle, called the cr More
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. AMNH/Caltech/UCB
This artist concept shows NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer rotating in space, revealing all sides of the spacecraft. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ball
This artist conception shows NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mapping the whole sky in infrared. The mission will unveil hundreds of thousands of asteroids, and hundreds of millions of stars and galaxie More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is shown inside one-half of the nose cone, or fairing, that will protect it during launch. NASA/JPL-Caltech/United Launch Alliance
This infrared image shows NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer WISE rocketing into the sky just before dawn on Dec. 14 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. All systems are behaving as expected. NAS More
This infrared snapshot of a region in the constellation Carina near the Milky Way was taken shortly after NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer ejected its cover. The first-light picture shows thousands of s More
The red dot at the center of this image is the first near-Earth asteroid discovered by NASA Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE -- an all-sky mapping infrared mission designed to see all sorts of cosmi More
The red smudge at the center of this image is the first comet discovered by NASA Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. The comet is a dusty mass of ice and parades around the sun every 4.7 years. NASA/J More
Comet Siding Spring appears to streak across the sky like a superhero in this new infrared image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. The comet, also known as C/2007 Q3, was discovered in 2007 by obse More
This infrared image taken by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer shows a star-forming cloud teeming with gas, dust and massive newborn stars. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
The immense Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31, is captured in full in this image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Andromeda is the closest large galaxy to our Milky Way galaxy, and is loc More
This image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer highlights the Andromeda galaxy older stellar population in blue. A pronounced warp in the disk of the galaxy, the aftermath of a collision with another More
This image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer highlights the dust that speckles the Andromeda galaxy spiral arms. The hot dust, which is being heated by newborn stars, traces the spidery arms all the More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer large field of view and multi-wavelength infrared sight allowed it to form this complete view of the cluster, containing dozens of bright galaxies and hundreds of smalle More
Is it a bird, or a plane? No, it comet Siding Spring streaking across the sky, as seen by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. An animation is available at the Photojournal. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
This mosaic of images from NASA WISE Telescope is in the constellation of Cassiopeia. This region contains a large star forming nebula within the Milky Way Galaxy, sometimes called the Heart Nebula, and is over More
This picture of the open star cluster NGC 7380 is a mosaic of images from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission spanning an area on the sky of about 5 times the size of the full Moon. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
A new infrared image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer shows a cosmic rosebud blossoming with new stars. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
This image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is a mosaic of 3 individual WISE frames spanning an area on the sky about 7 times the size of the full Moon in portions of the constellations Bootes and More
This mosaic from NASA WISE Telescope is of the Soul Nebula. It is an open cluster of stars surrounded by a cloud of dust and gas located about 6,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia, near More
A leggy cosmic creature comes out of hiding in this new infrared view from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. The spiral beauty, called IC 342 and sometimes the hidden galaxy, is shrouded behind our own More
This image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, is a view within the constellation Cassiopeia of another portion of the vast star forming complex that makes up part of the Perseus spiral arm More
This image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, is a view of an area of the sky over 12 times the size of the full Moon on the border of the constellations Sagittarius and Corona Australis. N More
This heroic image from from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is of a special cloud of dust and gas in the constellation Canis Major catalogued as NGC 2359, or more commonly known as Thor Helmet. NASA/JP More
This infrared image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer features one of the bright stars in the constellation Perseus, named Menkhib, along with a large star forming cloud commonly called the Californ More
A new infrared image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, showcases the Tadpole nebula, and asteroids that just happened to be cruising by. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
The Seagull nebula, seen in this infrared mosaic from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, draws its common name from it resemblance to a gull in flight. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer has captured a huge mosaic of two bubbling clouds in space, known as the Heart and Soul nebulae. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
This image shows asteroids observed so far by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. An animation is available at the Photojournal. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ULCA/JHU
This mosaic image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is located in a constellation in the southern sky, Pavo, which is Latin for peacock. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
This image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer features comet 65/P Gunn. Comets are balls of dust and ice left over from the formation of the solar system. The comet tail is seen here in red trailing More
Some might see a blood-red jellyfish, while others might see a pair of lips. In fact, the red-colored object in this new image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is a sphere of stellar innards. NASA/ More
This image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer shows the nearby galaxy M83. This is a spiral galaxy approximately 15 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra, sometimes referred to as the s More
Sending chills down the spine of all arachnophobes is the Tarantula nebula, seen in this image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer; the nebula is the largest star-forming region known in our entire Lo More
This image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer takes in several interesting objects in the constellation Cassiopeia which are not easily seen in visible light. The red circle visible at upper left is More
This image is an all-sky infrared map consisting of data taken by previous missions: the Infrared Astronomical Satellite; NASA Cosmic Background Explorer; and the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
This image shows the famous Pleiades cluster of stars as seen through the eyes of NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer; they are what astronomers call an open cluster of stars, loosely bound to each other t More
New stars are forming inside this giant cloud of dust and gas as seen in infrared light by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, spanning across the constellation Vela. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer has seen a cluster of newborn stars enclosed in a cocoon of dust and gas in the constellation Camelopardalis. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer highlights the Small Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy about 200,000 light-years away. Located in the constellation Tucana, the Small Magellanic Cloud looks like a wispy More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer has captured a favorite observing target of amateur astronomers, Omega Centauri. This celestial cluster of stars can be found in the constellation Centaurus. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
Unicorns and roses are usually the stuff of fairy tales, but a new cosmic image taken by NASA WISE mission shows the Rosette nebula in the constellation Monoceros, or the Unicorn. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
Galaxy Messier 74, with its spiral arms seen face-on, is in the center of this image captured by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, while an asteroid tracks its way across the sky. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
Nebulae are enormous clouds of dust and gas occupying the space between the stars. Simply called LBN 114.55+00.22, is seen here in an image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
Gripped in the claw of the constellation Scorpius sits the reflection nebula DG 129, a cloud of gas and dust that reflects light from nearby, bright stars. This infrared view of the nebula was captured by NASA More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer captured this image of a hidden star-forming cloud of dust and gas located in the constellation of Cepheus. What appears to the naked eye as the blackness of space is in More
This frame from a video demonstrates how NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer surveys asteroids and comets in the solar system. Perspective shown here is looking down from high above Earth North Pole, a kin More
This visitor from deep space, seen here by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, is comet Hartley 2, the destination for NASA EPOXI mission. The comet tail is seen here as a fuzzy streak to the right of the More
The Sculptor galaxy, or NGC 253, is seen in a rainbow of infrared colors in this mosaic by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. The Sculptor galaxy can be seen by observers in the southern hemisphere with More
The aptly named Cocoon nebula is featured in this image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. This cloud of dust and gas is located in the constellation Cygnus, and is wrapped in a dark cloud of dust c More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer captured this colorful image of the reflection nebula IRAS 12116-6001. This cloud of interstellar dust cannot be seen directly in visible light, but WISE detectors obser More
NASA Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer has uncovered a striking population of young stellar objects in a complex of dense, dark clouds in the southern constellation of Circinus. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
The green dot in the middle of this image might look like an emerald amidst glittering diamonds, but is a dim star belonging to a class called brown dwarfs; it is the first ultra-cool brown dwarf discovered by More
A colorful creature in a starry sea stands out in this image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Explorer; infrared light that has been assigned visible colors we see with our eyes. The jellyfish-looking object is ac More
This image composite shows two views of a puffy, dying star, or planetary nebula, known as NGC 1514. At left is a view from a ground-based, visible-light telescope; the view on the right shows the object in inf More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey captured this view of a runaway star racing away from its original home. Surrounded by a glowing cloud of gas and dust, the star AE Aurigae appears on fire. Appropriately, the cl More
This mosaic image taken by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, features three nebulae that are part of the giant Orion Molecular Cloud. Included in this view are the Flame nebula, the Horsehead nebula and More
This oddly colorful nebula is the supernova remnant IC 443 as seen by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer; the Jellyfish nebula is particularly interesting because it provides a look into how stellar explo More
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the launch of NASA Wide-Field Infrared Explorer, the mission team put together this image showing just a sample of the millions of galaxies that have been imaged by WISE More
This infrared image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer shows the Lambda Centauri nebula, a star-forming cloud in our Milky Way galaxy, also known as the Running Chicken nebula. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
This image captured by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer shows of one of our closest neighboring galaxies, Messier 33. Also named the Triangulum galaxy, M33 is one of largest members in our small neighbo More
This colorful picture is a mosaic of Messier 8, or the Lagoon nebula, taken by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. This nebula is composed of clouds of gas and dust in which new stars are forming. NASA/JP More
This image from NASA Wide-Field Infrared Explorer features two stunning galaxies engaged in an intergalactic dance. The galaxies, Messier 81 and Messier 82, swept by each other a few hundred million years ago. More
The blue star near the center of this image is Zeta Ophiuchi. Zeta Ophiuchi is actually a very massive, hot, bright blue star plowing its way through a large cloud of interstellar dust and gas in this image fro More
During its one-year mission, NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, mapped the entire sky in infrared light. Among the multitudes of astronomical bodies that have been discovered by the NEOWISE portion of th More
On the morning of February 1, 2011, NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, took its last snapshot of the sky. WISE final picture shows thousands of stars in a patch of the Milky Way galaxy in the co More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer captured this colorful image of the nebula BFS 29 surrounding the star CE-Camelopardalis, found hovering in the band of the night sky comprising the Milky Way. NASA/JPL- More
This large mosaic image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, features the wreckage of an exploded star, as well as other stars nearing the end of their lives. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, captured this image of a star-forming cloud of dust and gas located in the constellation of Monoceros. Sh2-284 is relatively isolated at the very end of an outer spiral More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer captured this image of the star Alpha Camelopardalis, or Alpha Cam speeding through the sky like a motorcyclist zipping through rush-hour traffic. The supergiant star Al More
There something special going on in the nearby Circinus galaxy, as revealed by this image from NASA WISE telescope. The Circinus galaxy is located in the constellation of Circinus and is obscured by the plane o More
A rich collection of colorful astronomical objects is revealed in this picturesque image of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex from NASA Wide-field Infrared Explorer; the cloud is found rising above the plane of th More
In the Perseus spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, opposite the galactic center, lies the nebula SH 2-235. As seen in infrared light, NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer reveals SH 2-235 to be a huge star More
This image is a map of the portion of the sky covered by the preliminary release of WISE data. WISE surveyed the entire sky in four infrared wavelengths in 2010. This map is centered on the Milky Way galaxy. NA More
NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is a little like the Vincent van Gogh of the infrared sky, providing the world with picturesque images of the cosmos by representing infrared light through color. This i More
Star clusters such as the Pleiades are often considered some of the most beautiful objects in the sky. This image of the star cluster NGC 2259 is from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
A colorful collection of galaxy specimens from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission showcases galaxies of several types, from elegant grand design spirals to more patchy flocculent spirals. NASA/JPL More
Best known as a swan winging its way across the night, the constellation Cygnus is easily seen in the northern hemisphere summertime sky. NASA WISE telescope captured this image of a huge complex of star-formin More
This stellar object is called Spitzer 073425.3-465409, as seen by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer; the cloud CG4 might be imagined as a cosmic alligator eating its way across the sky. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
This artist concept illustrates the first known Earth Trojan asteroid, discovered by NEOWISE, the asteroid-hunting portion of NASA WISE mission. The asteroid is shown in gray and its extreme orbit is shown in g More
Asteroid 2010 TK7, the first known Earth Trojan asteroid, is circled in green, in this single frame taken by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. The majority of the other dots are stars or galaxies far be More
This artist conception illustrates what a Y NASA/JPL-Caltech Public domain photograph - night sky, astronomy, universe, space, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
This chart based on data from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer illustrates why infrared-sensing telescopes are more suited to finding small, dark asteroids than telescopes that detect visible light. NAS More
Data from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer has led to revisions in the estimated population of near-Earth asteroids. The most accurate survey to date has allowed new estimates of the total numbers of ob More