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13:08 GMT, Tuesday, 12 May 2009 14:08 UK

In pictures: Hubble's best images

Pillars of gas in the Eagle Nebula (M16) (Nasa/Esa/STScI/J. Hester/P. Scowen)

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The "Pillars of Creation" is perhaps the most famous of the many images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The structures are columns of cool interstellar gas and dust that incubate new stars.

NGC 6543 - the Cat's Eye Nebula (Nasa, Esa, HEIC, and The Hubble Heritage Team - STScI/AURA)

NGC 6543 - the Cat's Eye Nebula (Nasa, Esa, HEIC, and The Hubble Heritage Team - STScI/AURA)

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Planetary nebulae like NGC 6543 form when Sun-like stars gently eject their outer gaseous layers. Better known as the "Cat's Eye" nebula, this was one of the first such phenomena to be discovered.

A "light echo" illuminates dust around supergiant star V838 Monocerotis NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)

A "light echo" illuminates dust around supergiant star V838 Monocerotis NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)

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A pulse of light from the red supergiant star V838 Monocerotis expands into space, reflecting off surrounding shells of dust to create a multicoloured "eyeball".

Cone Nebula (NGC 2264) a star-forming pillar of gas and dust

Cone Nebula (NGC 2264) a star-forming pillar of gas and dust

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In 2002, Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys captured this image of the Cone Nebula, a craggy-looking "mountaintop" of cold gas and dust 2,500 light years away.

Messier 64 (Nasa and The Hubble Heritage Team - AURA/STScI)

Messier 64 (Nasa and The Hubble Heritage Team - AURA/STScI)

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The collision of two galaxies left the merged system, called Messier 64, with bizarre internal motions. A dark band of dust in front of the bright nucleus has given rise to its nickname of the "Evil Eye" galaxy.

The Sombrero Galaxy (M104) (NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team - STScI/AURA)

The Sombrero Galaxy (M104) (NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team - STScI/AURA)

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The majestic "Sombrero" galaxy, Messier 104, is one of the most photogenic of star systems. Its hallmark is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by thick dust lanes.

Hubble Ultra Deep Field (Nasa, Esa, S. Beckwith (STScI) and the HUDF Team)

Hubble Ultra Deep Field (Nasa, Esa, S. Beckwith (STScI) and the HUDF Team)

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Galaxies stud this view from the Hubble Ultra Deep Field - the deepest visible light image of the cosmos. This core sample of the Universe cuts across billions of light years and captured some 10,000 galaxies.

The Ring Nebula (M57) (The Hubble Heritage Team - AURA/STScI/Nasa)

The Ring Nebula (M57) (The Hubble Heritage Team - AURA/STScI/Nasa)

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Hubble took this picture of the Ring Nebula (M57) in 1998. A dying star floats at the centre of the blue haze of gas.

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The Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 on Hubble took this picture of a young planetary nebula located about 8,000 light years away. It is better known as the "Hourglass Nebula" because of its shape.

Crab Nebula (Nasa, Esa, J. Hester and A. Loll - Arizona State University)

Crab Nebula (Nasa, Esa, J. Hester and A. Loll - Arizona State University)

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The Crab Nebula is the expanding remnant of a star that exploded in a supernova. This violent event was recorded by Japanese and Chinese astronomers in the year 1054.

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