Images Dated 2nd October 2003

Sombrero galaxy (M104), HST image

Sombrero galaxy (M104, NGC 4594), Hubble Space Telescope image. This spiral galaxy is seen almost edge-on to Earth. Its disc is seen as a dark band of dust crossing the brighter central bulge. Most of a galaxy's mass is thought to be in the form of dark matter, some of which can be detected when it obscures the light from stars behind it. The Sombrero galaxy lies around 28 million light years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. It is around 50, 000 light years across, less than half the width of our Milky Way galaxy. The image is a mosaic of six true-colour images taken by the HST's Advanced Camera for Surveys in spring 2003

© NASA/ESA/STSCI/HUBBLE HERITAGE TEAM/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Artwork showing Galileo spacecraft nearing Jupiter

Artist's impression of the Galileo spacecraft on its final approach to the planet Jupiter. Galileo was launched by Space Shuttle Atlantis on 18 October 1989, and is due to arrive at the giant planet on 7 December 1995. 150 days before this, Galileo will release a probe which will study the planet's atmosphere during a 60-minute long descent. The orbiter will go on to circle Jupiter for at least 20 months, investigating the planet and its moons. The artwork shows Galileo passing Io (left), one of the moons of Jupiter. Images taken by the two Voyager spacecraft in 1979 showed that Io has almost constant volcanic eruptions, such as the two shown in the illustration

© Julian Baum/Science Photo Library