By Jason Orfanon

A luminous "butterfly" nebula fans out from a dying star, a turbulent cloud of gas and dust gives us a peek at the birth of a constellation, and multi-colored stars fill the frame like a tray of glowing jellybeans. All these dazzling images -- and more -- come from the newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope in a collection of photos released today by NASA.

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Thanks to new imagers installed in May 2009 during a visit from the space shuttle Atlantis, Hubble can now see farther, clearer, and across a wider spectrum than ever before.

NASA says it's a new beginning for the 19-year-old orbiting observatory, and will extend its life into the next decade. For astronomers, it's a chance to probe deeper into space, capture never-before-seen images from the early days of the universe, and perhaps observe the birth of planets like ours.

And for ordinary folks who like to look up at the night sky and dream, it's what some astronomy enthusiasts call "space porn."

To learn more about the new and improved Hubble Space Telescope, and see more far-flung images, visit HubbleSite. Also, check out this audio slideshow of astronomers discussing their favorite Hubble photos.

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categories: Daily Picture Show

11:54 - September 9, 2009

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